Who Would Have Guessed?
by Saiyon
Summary: Victoria falls into an obsession with Bella after James is killed, and thinking Victoria wants revenge for her murdered mate, Laurent tries to kill Bella for her, only to be killed instead. Suddenly, Victoria continuously shows up in Forks, trying to get close to Bella, but not for the reasons Bella thinks...and what happens when Irina comes to Forks to avenge Laurent? I/B/V ending
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay, so I just want to thank herokenz for originally sparking this idea, although I also have to apologize because it took off in a completely different direction then I thought and Victoria somehow snuck herself into the story too. I swear I'll try to write an Irina/Bella only story someday! Anyways, as for the rest of you, please tell me what you think, if I should continue, and so on. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 1

Bella was pretty sure she was getting used to this whole being alone thing. Sure, there was still a gaping hole in her chest from having her entire family ripped away from her, and she was now ostracized at school because of the weird near comatose state she had ended up in, but she alive...and yeah, she had currently nearly died at least four times trying to get to her and Edward's meadow, but she was getting better.

She didn't even think she loved Edward anymore. If anything, she missed his family more than him. She missed big, goofy Emmett, and cool, calm Jasper, who were like the two big brothers she never had. She missed Alice, who was the best friend she never really had, not even once growing up. Then there was Esme, who was the best mom Bella could have ever believed existed, Carlisle who was like the weird, cool uncle, and Rosalie...well, she still wasn't sure what Rosalie was to Bella. Maybe the bitchy older sister?

Even now, as Bella tried for the hundredth time not to get impaled on a twig as she struggled to get to that meadow, she wondered why she was doing it. How much of her pain involved Edward, and how much involved trying to remember all that she had lost?

"Finally," Bella puffed, nearly falling over in exhaustion after her incredibly long, painful, dangerous––did she mention painful?––hike up here. While the sun was blinding her, she was sure this was her meadow. After all, she recognized the log that nearly took her feet out from under her that was a few feet back.

It was then that she noticed a lone figure standing in the sunlight, glittering enough to be the real source of her blindness.

 _No. It couldn't be._ Bella squinted hard, rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and squinted again. _Yeah, I was right; it wasn't._ "Laurent?"

"Ah, Bella," Laurent said with a jovial smile as he turned to face the human. "What a pleasure it is to see you."

"Yeah, no kidding. How are the Denalis treating you?" Bella asked. She felt herself relaxing in the familiar vampire's presence. It just felt so good to be near a vampire again that she couldn't help herself.

"Oh, they're treating me quite well––especially Irina," Laurent said with the kind of grin Bella remembered Mike getting when he thought he was going to get in her pants. Only, from the gleam in Laurent's eyes, she was sure that he was having better luck than her classmate.

"That's cool, I'm really happy for you," Bella said, and meant it...although a part of her wondered if she should find a way to just give Irina a little heads up. While they were probably all over each other or mated anyways, Bella felt a strange warning that made her think Irina was getting tricked somehow.

"As am I, as am I," Laurent said, still grinning as he took a step towards her.

"I just realized something...why aren't you in Denali right now? Why are you here?" Bella asked as the warning bells in her head got just a little bit louder.

"Well you see, I came here to see how you were doing...and what do you know, but I find you all alone, with no one to protect you…" Laurent told her, his voice getting lower, almost seductive as he stalked closer. It was only then that Bella realized that while his eyes were dark, they weren't a dark gold. No, they were a dark red. "It really is strange; a mate shouldn't be able to leave your side like this…"

"Yeah, well, the Cullens have been gone for awhile," Bella said with a nervous shrug, then froze as the warning bells in her head got louder. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was she thinking, admitting to being alone and defenseless? "They should be back any moment though, their camping trips rarely last much longer than this," Bella quickly tried to backtrack, but it was too late; she could see a glint of something dangerous in his eyes. Taking a deep breath as her heart pounded fast and furious in her chest, Bella whispered, "I take it you didn't just come for a social visit?"

"No, I did not. You see, Bella, Victoria is quite furious that Edward killed her mate. So furious to the point that I don't believe she would listen to reason, even if she heard that he left you all alone, at her mercy." Laurent was circling her now, sizing her up, eyeing her like she had seen Charlie eye a particularly good looking fish. Stopping behind her, he inhaled deeply, groaning at her scent. "You should thank me, Isabella. I'm going to make your death swift and sweet. Victoria, on the other hand, would have tortured you for days and days. She would have made you suffer every kind of pain imaginable before ending your life."

"Why me?" Bella asked softly, trying not to let her voice quiver in fear.

"That's just how some vampires think, I'm afraid. A mate for a mate," Laurent said as he stepped closer, running his nose up her neck as he savored her scent.

"And if I tell you I don't think I'm his mate?" Bella asked, her voice breathy with fear, which only made it more potent and delicious to the vampire.

"I doubt she'd believe you. She's way too far gone; obsessed with you even. Now, if you would be so kind as to tilt your head to the side. I always love to taste and sample before I drink, you see." Laurent twisted his hand in her hair, jerking her head to the side to expose her neck, and opened his mouth to take a bite.

Just like that, Laurent was gone.

Bella whirled around, trying to see where he went, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw a flash of red. Then out of nowhere, giant wolves burst out of the clearing, and Bella could only stare, stunned, as they rushed past. A moment later, she heard Laurent's screech and the ripping of granite...and then came smoke from a fire.

Unable to hold her up anymore, Bella's legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground, beyond dazed. She had no idea what had just happened. What had made Laurent...run? Yeah, that was the only explanation. Laurent, for some reason, ran when he saw or sensed the wolves, the wolves chased, managed to somehow kill him and make a fire to burn him in…

Shaking her head, Bella groaned and brought her legs up to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees and taking deep breaths.

This was all just too much. All Bella wanted to do was check out the meadow, try to sort out her feelings, do a little soul searching...not nearly get murdered by some dirty jackass vampire only to get rescued by giant wolves.

This was all just too much. She needed something normal, needed a friend...yeah, that's what she needed. A friend. And the only friend she had left was Jake.

 _I'm going to call him, ask if he wants to hang out,_ Bella decided, trying to stand as she dismissed the weird day from her mind. She couldn't even stand up completely before her legs gave out again, and she landed on her butt hard enough to bruise. Letting out a groan of pain, she checked her phone to see if she could call without having to get up, only to realize she had no cell phone service.

 _Okay, I'm going to go home and call him...as soon as my legs start working again._

Bella tried to keep that plan in mind as she fell back on the grass. Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes, just for a moment. And then they didn't open.

* * *

Victoria stared down at the human, completely enraptured as she knelt down. Carefully, so as not to wake her, she maneuvered the girl so that Bella's head was in her lap. The girl was fast asleep, so deeply asleep that Victoria doubted anything would wake her, and it seemed almost sweet to the vampire. Absently, her fingers traced over the girl's face as she memorized everything about her.

Yes, Victoria was obsessed with Bella alright, but not in the way her stupid ex-coven mate had thought. It still enraged her to know that he had tried to kill her because of what he believed Victoria had wanted, and that Victoria had almost not made it in time...that she had almost lost the one thing that suddenly made her feel so alive all because of the man's own selfish desires and refusal to even ask Victoria what she felt for the girl.

She was furious at James, too. Furious because he had tricked her, used her limited knowledge to make her believe that he was her mate. It wasn't until her eyes had met the brunette's that she realized just how much of a liar he was...which was why she lied to him about the hunt, told him it was safe, just so he could die.

Of course, that was another thing that now upset her. She hadn't realized that in pretending that there was no danger for James would have nearly killed Bella in the process. She had felt danger closing in on her, but by then she was already so far away, that by the time Victoria had gotten to her, Bella was already in the hospital, recovering. It had been hard for Victoria to leave her, but she had no choice; they would only see her as another threat. She knew the girl would be safe with the Cullens––that is, until she had found out that the Cullens had completely abandoned her. Victoria didn't know the details, but she had a feeling it was all that fru fru haired boy's fault.

Next time she saw him, she'd kill him. Just like she would have killed Laurent, had those wolves not intervened and done the job for her.

Almost as if her thoughts had conjured them, she heard a howl to her left and felt her instincts telling her to leave to avoid danger. She hesitated, considering taking Bella with her, but knew waking up alone with Victoria would only terrify the girl after what Laurent had told her. It didn't make it any better that humans didn't feel the mating bond like vampires did and would have no clue to the real reason Victoria wanted her. Checking her instincts to make sure Bella would be safe if left behind, Victoria relaxed and let out a sigh full of longing.

"Soon, my love," Victoria swore softly, kissing the girl's warm forehead. _Soon I'll have you. Soon you'll be mine, and I'll be yours._ With one last lingering glance, Victoria gently settled the girl back on the grass.

 _Those wolves better take you home this time,_ Victoria thought with an annoyed hiss as the wolves got closer. Then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So after getting the reviews and follows, I decided to continue the story. Thanks for the support guys, and if you didn't know, writing this story also made me start writing a separate Victoria/Bella fic and Irina/Bella fic, and I want to know if you guys would want me to post and write more of those stories, or if you want me to focus on the ones I already have for now. Please review, let me know what you think about the other fics as well as this one, and also, obviously, please enjoy.

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Chapter 2

After Bella woke up in her bed, she went through with her promise of calling Jacob, who was beyond ecstatic to hear from her. He almost sounded like an overexcited puppy, if a puppy could talk, making Bella laugh throughout their conversation.

While Bella had figured she would try to make plans with him in the near future, he insisted that he was already free that day, and made it sound like he would die of boredom without her. At his pleading, she agreed to come over––not that it really took much convincing on her part––and as she got ready, she made sure to keep what happened yesterday at the very back of her mind.

"Whoa there, slow down," Charlie said as she hurried down the stairs only a half hour after ending the call with Jacob, already fully dressed and ready to go. "What's got you in such a rush?"

"I'm going to Jake's place," Bella said and walked over to kiss him on the head. She felt a flash of guilt as she saw that he was eating only cereal and toast, and Bella realized she hadn't cooked for him in forever. In fact, since the Cullens had left, she hadn't done much of anything outside of trying to remember them. Yet Charlie hadn't muttered one complaint or tried to push her to even move on, although she could tell how much he worried about her. "Hey, how about I cook for you tonight?"

"Only if you're up for it. And I'm happy you're going to see Jacob," Charlie said with a genuine grin. "It's about time you really did something fun for a change."

"I know," Bella said, hiding her pain through another smile. "Anyways, I'll be back around six, okay?" That would give her time to cook for him, something she swore she was going to start doing at least once a day again.

"Yeah." Bella started to head for the front door, only for Charlie to stop her before she made it even halfway across the room. "For god's sake Bells, at least take something to eat before you go. And try to be careful; I don't want Sam Uley having to take you home becoming a common thing."

"Huh?" Bella asked, puzzled, as she walked back over to take the piece of toast Charlie offered her.

"Yeah, Sam took you home last night, found you sleeping out in the forest. Now I hope I don't need to get into how dumb that was to do but––"

"Don't worry Dad, it won't happen again. I didn't even mean to fall asleep," Bella answered quickly, mortified that that had happened for the second time with Sam––the first being the night Edward had left her. Of course something like that had happened, how else would she have gotten home? Why did she even feel that it was okay for her to so much as close her eyes in a clearing that had just hosted a vampire and then a bunch of giant wolves? Still, why did it have to be Sam _again_? "Anyways I really should be going. Thanks for the toast." With that, Bella was out the door, hurrying to her truck as she shoved the toast in her mouth.

She had just gotten the truck unlocked when she thought she caught a flash of red from the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat as she paused and looked around, but at finding nothing, opened her truck's door and hopped inside.

 _Stop it, Bella, you're just being paranoid,_ she told herself, but that didn't stop her from turning on the truck and peeling out of the house's driveway. _Victoria isn't here. If she was, you'd already be dead._ Not a very helpful thought. If anything, it made her feel sick to her stomach. Great, it just figured she'd end up puking in her own truck.

 _Jake. Focus on Jake, and the tons of fun we're going to have,_ Bella thought furiously as she drove around the roads. _No vampires, no wolves, just me and my best friend._

Still, Bella felt her heart clench uneasily, and that feeling didn't want to go away.

* * *

Victoria couldn't help herself. Her draw to Bella had become incredibly painful for reasons unknown to her, and she soon found herself sitting at Bella's bedside, disgusted at herself for not being able to show more restraint. The reason for her control issues were quickly understood as she realized Bella absolutely reeked of wolves. Even when that Alpha had carried her home, his scent hadn't clung to her this much. It was like a bunch of wolves had taken turns holding her for four hours straight, and all the while she had been in a wolf's den to top off the stench.

Victoria felt her lips skim back from her teeth at the thought. Bella was _hers_ even if the girl herself didn't know it yet. She considered waking the girl up so that she could rub her scent all over her in a claim, but knew doing so in the middle of the night wouldn't be the best way to introduce herself properly.

Unable to help herself, the redhead let out a low growl of frustration. She really was stuck in the worst situation. Not only had she had such a horrible first meeting with her mate, but now she also had to deal with approaching her while her mate believed Victoria would only want to get close to her would be to kill her.

She really did have a huge problem on her hand.

Victoria didn't know how, and she didn't know why, but Bella shifted in her sleep, reaching out to wrap her arms around Victoria's waist. Growl tapering off, she stared incredulously down at the brunette, suddenly unsure of what to do.

Even if Bella was her mate, what kind of human just randomly and thoughtlessly cuddled up to an unknown vampire in their sleep? Victoria knew it wasn't the mating bond at work, since Bella hadn't even met her eyes during that brief encounter back when James had still been alive, and it wasn't even a hot night out either, so Bella had no reason to seek out a cold, hard, and now currently unmoving body.

When Bella made no show of planning to move anytime soon, and since Victoria was more than willing to revel in the feel of her mate's arms around her, Victoria eventually managed to relax. Still, she stopped herself from getting comfortable, knowing that if she were to let down her guard, she would find herself cuddling up to the brunette in a human heartbeat. Something that would most certainly terrify the girl if she were to wake up to find Victoria in her room, let alone sharing the same bed.

 _What would you think of me?_ Victoria found herself thinking, fear and uncertainty worming their way into Victoria's undead heart. _Would you really want me? Come to crave me? How would you feel, knowing the woman who you once believed to be your hunter's mate was actually yours?_ Worst of all, Victoria worried if she was even worthy of the sleeping girl before her.

Before Bella, Victoria had seen human as cattle. She didn't care if the human was "innocent" and the only restriction she had was refusing to hunt children. Teenagers, though, she had no qualms about. Then she saw Bella, saw her relationships with other humans, saw connections and relationships. Victoria was even trying to drink animal blood while she was here so she would not only not have to stray far from the brunette, but because she had seen how at ease Bella was with the Cullens––who she now hated for abandoning her. What if Victoria hadn't gotten to Laurent in time? Hell, what if Victoria was actually James's mate? Bella would have been dead, left so unprotected like she would have been had Victoria not taken up the position of her guard.

It was her already growing love for the girl that made her change her ways, and also what stopped her from going on to the reservation where all of those shifters waited. She had seen how happy Bella had been while talking on the phone with one of those Native American boys, had seen how excitedly she had run to her car, and Victoria couldn't have stopped her, no matter how worried she was about the dangerous Bella would be placing herself in. That didn't stop her, however, from hovering on the treaty line, keeping as close as she could to Bella at all times without actually breaking the treaty, just in case something bad had happened. She had heard nothing save for her and a few boys laughing and having fun, and had thought nothing of it.

Now, though, she realized how bad even fun could be for her mate, seeing as she was still currently doused in the wolves' scents, and it was driving the instinctive side of Victoria crazy, especially since Bella had smelled like this _after_ taking a shower. To make matters worse, Victoria had overheard her mate promising to come back the very next day.

Still, Victoria refused to stand between Bella and her happiness––unless, of course, the Cullens were involved. Then she might have a few things to say...or yell, or maybe snarl...while ripping off at least a body part or two.

"Mm…" Bella mumbled, bringing Victoria out of her thoughts as she shifted in sleep. Victoria's eyes widened impossibly further as Bella tightened her grip around Victoria's waist, burying her head in her stomach. "Thank you...coming back," she mumbled with a small smile, and Victoria felt euphoria, then a pain in her chest as she remembered that Bella wasn't reacting to _her_ but just the feeling of a vampire.

 _Who was she dreaming about?_ Victoria thought bitterly. _That foolish male who had claimed her? Or perhaps that little pixie one?_ Victoria doubted that outside of the common vampire characteristics, the redhead didn't feel like either of them, which only made Victoria more curious.

"Just who are you thinking about, little one?" Victoria murmured as she stroked the human's hair. "And how can I get you to dream about me?"

Of course, Bella didn't answer, leaving Victoria to agonize over what to do to win her mate's heart.

* * *

Nobody wanted to be in the Denali house at the moment, but no one had a choice in staying either, unless they wanted their house to be turned into rubble.

"Irina, you have to calm down! I really like that vase!" Carmen exclaimed as she flashed over to catch the vase in question before it could shatter against the wall. Irina didn't even seem to hear her, so consumed by her pained rage that she simply turned to the next thing she could destroy.

Tanya and Kate exchanged a single glance that communicated so much more than a simple plan, before intervening. Tanya came up from behind Irina, bringing her arms under Irina's armpits and up, locking her sister's arms into a useless position as Kate wrapped her arms around Irina from the front, sending her a powerful enough shock that Irina would have fallen to the ground had her two sisters not been holding onto her.

"He's dead! Laurent is dead!" Irina cried, still distraught with the news that Eleazar had delivered earlier that day. "How can you expect me to be calm when I've lost my mate so quickly after I have found him?"

Another glance was exchanged between Tanya and Kate on what they thought about smooth talking French vampire. If they were to be honest, they weren't exactly torn up about his death, and it had nothing to do with him not being able to convert to their lifestyle. Instead, it had more to do with the calculating glint in his eyes, and the way he had convinced Irina that he was her mate.

While the proof had just been laid out in front of her, since she hadn't felt it the moment Laurent had died, Irina was still not ready to hear it. Instead, she was stuck with her pain over what she believed to be the loss of her mate, and refused to believe anything else.

"Irina, I know you're hurting, but––" Tanya tried to soothe her distraught sister, but was interrupted instead.

"The ones who killed him. They're werewolves, yes?" Irina demanded, a dark glint in her eyes as she already started planning her revenge. While she hated the Volturi, she would go to them without hesitation if it meant getting revenge for her beloved.

"No, they're shapeshifters," Eleazar quickly replied, realizing the direction Irina's thoughts had taken. "Irina, you can't possibly be thinking...do you not remember what Carlisle told us about them? They have a treaty!"

Kate and Tanya also looked at Irina with a horrified realization. To think, even after Sasha, that Irina would even entertain the thought, showed just how horribly Laurent had managed to manipulate her.

"I don't care!" Irina declared, still struggling against her sisters' holds on her. "While we may consider ourselves cousins, we are not the same coven. I have no reason not to destroy them for murdering my mate just because of his lifestyle choices."

Eleazar opened his mouth, as something Santiago had told them about the situation hadn't seemed right, but then Tanya's phone rang. Tanya paused, locked eyes to make sure Kate could handle Irina on her own, and when Kate nodded, Tanya stepped back to answer the call.

"Kate, let her go," Alice said the second Tanya had put the phone to her ear. Tanya blinked, a little shocked that these words would come from their cousin's mouth.

"Alice, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Tanya asked calmly, noticing how Irina's darkened eyes were now completely locked on her.

"You're saying I can kill the wolves, correct?" Irina asked with an evil glee. Who would have guessed that even a single Cullen would end up on her side?

"No," Alice replied, gaining a furious hiss from Irina. "In fact, no one in our family is giving permission for Irina to even harm the wolves. But I am telling you, Tanya, that you need to let her go to Forks. I don't see much, due to some certain restrictions placed on me," the last was grumbled with an angry undertone that no one missed, "But I can tell Irina will be genuinely happy by something she will find there. So Irina, if you wish to be happy, I suggest you look around Forks before you go to the reservation."

"Alice, are you sure about this?" Tanya asked.

The entire coven heard Alice reply with an affirmative. Reluctantly, Kate let Irina go. Irina seemed victorious about being freed, but also suddenly hesitant and nervous, unsure of what exactly Alice had seen. Both Tanya and Kate were actually surprised that Irina hadn't simply rushed off.

"Thank you, Alice," Tanya said, already seeing what Alice's simple words had changed her sister.

"No problem." There was a hesitation in her voice, followed by what sounded like a gush of wind as Alice seemed to run somewhere. "Speaking of problems, do you think Irina can check on a human for us? Her name is Bella, and…"

"I will check in on the human," Irina promised, still strangely subdued. After getting a physical description of the girl, as well as understanding that Edward would notice the second Alice tried to check in on Bella herself, they hung up.

"We're coming with you," Tanya said.

"No. I need to do this myself." Seeing Tanya's hard gaze, Irina's eyes turned pleading. "Please, sister. I promise I will follow all of Alice's instructions." And this way, should Irina turn her fury on those disgusting mutts, her family wouldn't be held responsible.

Tanya would have said no. Yet for some reason, instead, she found herself sighing. "Fine. Irina, you may go to Forks by yourself. But I insist on regular check ins, do you understand?"

Kate's mouth was hanging open as she looked at Tanya in disbelief, and even Carmen and Eleazar were looking at Tanya as if she had lost her mind. It was only Irina, obviously, who was pleased with the news, and gave her oldest sister a hug.

"Thank you," she murmured, and then Irina was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, writer's block is a bitch. But look, here's a sorta long chapter (for me anyways) and thanks to me writing some other unposted fanfic stories, I not only got my grove back, but now I have a bunch of extra stories that I might post in the future. So yay! Celebrate, those who enjoy my writing!_

 _Extra Author's Note: Just found out that this was my fiftieth chapter of anything posted, so that's kinda cool. What isn't cool is finding out that there's a fifty chapter limit in doc manager...after I already attempted to post this and made a bunch of changes and added my notes. So having to delete some docs and re edit this was annoying, but at least I did it. Now, thanks for reading, onto the story!_

* * *

Chapter 3

That fun Bella had with Jake, which mostly consisted of looking for parts and building motorcycles, had turned into fun with Embry and Quil as well when they had stopped by to see what Jacob was up to. Those three were a jovial bunch who loved to laugh together, and Bella had even found herself pulled into their rough housing on more than one occasion. Even Sam had stopped by to see how she was doing––although Jacob didn't even know how he knew she was here––and gave her a hug before heading on his way. Which was weird. Then again, she guessed that having to pick up and take home an either comatose or sleeping girl twice in the span of a month was weirder.

Their first day together hadn't even ended before Bella found herself excitedly thinking about the next, and Jacob had a similar line of thought, as he invited her over the very next day. Soon, Bella was spending every day of her weekends over with Jacob, Quil, Embry, and any of the other La Push Boys.

Unknowingly to Bella, this was driving Victoria absolutely insane. Not only did she come home at least twice a week smelling like wolves, but the vampire could also smell a certain wolf's desire for her. There was also the problem with those very wolves trying to hunt her down and kill her, making it harder and harder for Victoria to even get close to Bella.

If it weren't for Bella's pain, Victoria would have felt pure relief and satisfaction when the boy named Jacob started pulling away because of his change. Now, she also had to deal with fury because he hurt her mate so badly, abandoning her after she had already been abandoned once before.

Victoria was tired of it. She was beyond prepared to make her move; it was about time to meet Bella face to face.

Bella was in a seriously crappy mood. Her time with the La Push boys had made her happy, and she was sure she was going to heal. That is, until Jacob suddenly started to push her away, and even yelled at her. Once again, Bella felt unwanted and abandoned, and that healing hole in her heart was suddenly ripped open once again.

This time, she refused to fall back into her depression, if only for Charlie's sake. She wanted to be a better daughter, wanted to not worry him, so she made sure to do things around the house, eat meals with him, even joke around. Still, she could tell she wasn't doing a good job with fooling him, as he continuously sent her worried looks and constantly asked how she was doing. When he had asked why she had stopped hanging out with Jacob, some part of Bella had been compelled to tell Charlie the truth. She could still remember how furious he had been just a few days later.

 _What? He had actually said that to you? Even after he knew what_ that boy _had done?" Ever since the day Edward had left Bella, he had refused to speak his name. It had only been until recently, when Bella had started to heal, that she had convinced him to stop saying "that fucker" or "that bastard" or "that little prick" but Bella could tell Charlie was quickly going back onto the dark path of cursing; only this time, it would be Jacob who was the subject of his cursing creativity._

" _Dad, please, it's not a big deal," Bella tried to plead as she stood up to put a hand on Charlie's arm in an effort of calming him down. Her hand, however, never met its destination, as Charlie whirled to her with an angry glint to his eyes._

" _Not a big deal?_ Not a big deal?! _Bells, with what the little...butthead of a bastard fucker did was on purpose. He was the one building you back up, and for what? Just to tear you back down? Just so you can experience even more pain?"_

" _Dad––"_

" _No Bella, don't even try to talk me down. I'm calling Billy, but only because he's my best friend, and I want to give him some fair warning before I go down there and shove my gun up that giant baboon ass his son has. He'll be lucky that's all I'd do, too. I'm so tempted to just go down there and do who knows what else. If I weren't the Chief of Police around here, I'd call the fucking police on his ass! And his friends, too! Hell, there does seem to be some kind of gang activity down there anyways; I'm sure I can bust them for something."_

" _Dad, think about this. Are you really going to go down there and harass a fifteen year old boy?"_

" _He's going to be sixteen soon. Not that it matters; even twelve year olds know how to accept responsibility when they're raised right. Hell, even a toddler would know that what that fuckboy said was wrong."_

 _Bella stared at him, her mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe he had just said that._

 _Charlie, noticing his daughter's stunned expression, scowled almost petulantly. "What, you don't think I noticed how he looked at you? I bet you didn't feel anything for him, and when he realized that, he decided he was going to hurt you for it. I've been reading up on this kind of shit, I know things. He's a fuckboy, Bella, and by the time I'm done with him, he won't ever be able to fuck again."_

" _Okay, now you really need to calm down," Bella hurried to say, putting her hands on Charlie's shoulders to guide him unwillingly back to his chair. "Think about what you're saying. You'll lose your job if you do even half of those things, and that's if you didn't end up in jail first."_

" _I don't care. You're my daughter, Bells, and I'd do anything to protect you," Charlie said, his voice a low growl that could rival a vampire's._

 _Feeling tears well in her eyes as she realized just how much Charlie loved her, Bella wrapped her arms around her dad, catching him off guard. "Dad, I love you too. But please, let's just talk this out first."_

" _Fine. But that steroid stuffer is still gonna get what's coming to him."_

After a very, very long talk, Bella had managed to convince her dad not to cut or blow off any body parts of her ex best friend. Still, she couldn't talk Charlie down from his fury, and had spent that first night after their talk keeping one ear and one eye open and alert, half expecting Charlie to try and sneak out so he could make good on his promise. The next day had Charlie making a very angry call to Billy's father––who managed to sound very calm and understanding throughout their talk, despite all the names Charlie was calling his son––and the call ended with Charlie telling Billy that he never wanted to see Jacob near his daughter again. Once Bella was sure Charlie wouldn't call Billy back to get a few other things off of his chest, Bella cleaned up breakfast and got ready for school. She felt a need to warn Charlie not to do anything crazy as she kissed Charlie on the cheek and left for the day.

That had nearly a week ago, and Bella now found herself facing her second weekend since Jacob had basically torn her heart out. She had focused so much on catching up on her schoolwork that she hadn't really had to face the reality of not really having anyone left, save for a grounded Angela who had been caught making out with Ben. But now, her homework was all finished and even triple checked, and Bella realized she, once more, had nothing to look forward to. If it weren't for her fear of breaking Charlie's heart, she might have actually wished that Victoria would hurry up and kill her.

Instead, she got up, got ready, and decided to leave the house, really leave the house, for something other than school or groceries. It would be the first time in a month that she did it, and when she got in her truck, she really had no idea what she was going to do or where she was going to go.

Somehow, for some reason, she found herself driving as close as she could to The Meadow. Yes, The Meadow. The Meadow that Edward had brought her to, The Meadow that Laurent had tried to kill her in, The Meadow where she had first seen those giant wolves. She had no idea why she was considering going back there, especially after how many times she had nearly gotten killed the first time she had tried to go there. Yet here she was, eyeing the dangerous forest, considering plunging into the foliage to get there, hoping she wouldn't die along the way.

Why? Bella had no idea why she was considering this. Was it in a once again vain, useless hope of mending her twice destroyed heart? But what for? Yes, she still missed the Cullens, and she now missed Jacob too. Maybe because this was the place where everything had really started for Bella. Edward had revealed himself fully to her in that hidden meadow, and it was after her near death experience in that same meadow that had led her to call Jacob.

Maybe it would be there, in that very same meadow, that Bella would find out where she was heading next.

So with that in mind, Bella started her treacherous journey into the wilds of Forks. Even the thought of those giant wolves lurking in the forest, waiting to eat her or burn her or whatever, wasn't enough to deter her.

Unknowingly to her, a certain redheaded vampire watched worriedly as she fumbled through the forest, unsure if now was the time she should step in. She knew exactly where Bella was headed––although heaven knows why her mate would try to go there of all places––and she knew how dangerous a trek it would be for any human, let alone one as...vertically challenged...as Bella. Sure, Victoria sensed no danger when she considered helping Bella, but her gift only worked with physical dangers. She had no idea how Bella would react to her, and if Victoria could handle being rejected by her mate.

Soon, Bella made up Victoria's mind for her when she tripped. Her arms pinwheeled as she tried to find something to grab onto, only succeeding in cutting open her palm as she fell towards the ground.

She never hit the dirt. Instead, Victoria was there, sweeping Bella up into her arms and taking off towards the meadow. She figured getting Bella to her destination, which was far less dangerous than standing in the woods, would make things easier.

As she ran, holding the confused and dazed human in her arms, it was hard to remember why she had stayed away so long. The scent of her mate was intoxicating, and holding Bella in her arms...all Victoria wanted to do was pull Bella against her and kiss her senseless as she ran her hands all over the human's body, both under and over her clothes.

After only a few seconds, Victoria made it to the meadow––just in time, as Bella was starting to struggle, her fear making Victoria's heart hurt. Victoria gently put Bella down, planning to slowly put distance between them so Bella wouldn't see her as a threat. Once again, Bella had other ideas, as in her haste, she managed to trip over her own feet and start falling backwards. Once again, Victoria was there to catch her. This time, however, Victoria stayed there, staring down at her mate in wonder, holding her with a single hand, uncaring and unnoticing that Bella had grabbed her arm for balance and currently was smearing blood on her arm.

Bella was stunned. It actually, actually felt like she was in a movie. This was the type of scene that would start the cheesy romance of some couple. One would fall, the other would catch them, and they'd stare into each other's eyes...a love at first sight scenario. And here she was, in that exact same predicament, only with her soon to be killer.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Isabella," Victoria murmured in a soft voice, resisting the urge to push Bella's hair out of her face. "I'm _never_ going to hurt you."

Just at hearing the woman's smooth, husky voice, Bella's heart rate increased. Sure, Edward had never been able to read Bella's thoughts, but it seemed like Victoria had no trouble doing the exact same. Of course, what else would Bella think in this scenario? Certainly not about how gorgeous Victoria looked, or that her eyes...oh god, her eyes. They were now a mix of gold and red, as if Victoria was drinking from animals.

"What do you want then?" Bella croaked, her grip tightening on Victoria's arm tightening. Neither had moved from their position, and while it had to be uncomfortable for Bella, she didn't try to move. And not just because of the fact that she was afraid of triggering the vampire into attacking her.

"I just…" Victoria searched for the right words. She couldn't say she wanted to ravish her, mate with her, devour her, kiss her, love her for all of eternity...no, saying any of that would certainly scare the human off. "I just want to get to know you." There, that couldn't scare Bella off, could it?

"Why?" Bella whispered, still hypnotized by Victoria's eyes.

Victoria flashed a devilish smile, one that clearly dazed the smaller human.

"Why not?"

* * *

 _Four Days Later_

Irina had made it, she had finally made it. It had taken her much longer than she had planned to get to Forks, mainly because of all of her unplanned stops. Not only had she had to feed more than usual to stop herself from killing any wolf in sight in a revenge induced rage, but Tanya had insisted she stop along the way and buy some clothes, shoes, and a bag to carry it all in so she wouldn't stand out. This was annoying enough, as Irina had to do all of this at a human speed, but then it got worse. The first bag she had chosen, a backpack, had been destroyed simply due to the speed she was running at, sending clothing flying in every direction, dirtying it all and rendering everything basically useless. She realized then that she had to carry the bag in her arms, but it was already too late for this realization, and she had to go to another store to buy new clothes, a new bag, and new shoes, as her run had caused such friction it had left them all but destroyed. Then she had to stop and buy new shoes _again_ and it was only when those were destroyed that she realized that while she had to fit in, she could have simply carried the shoes until a time when she needed to look normal. Sadly, she only realized this after the second pair were destroyed, and Irina had to go buy a new pair, walk out of town at a normal pace––where a rapist then tried to attack her, which she had to deal with––before taking off her shoes and continuing her run.

To top it all off, she got lost, multiple times. Yes, her vampiric memory was perfect, but her rage over Laurent had clearly clouded her judgement and sent her all over the place. She was frustrated and more than a little humiliated when she answered another of Tanya's calls to once again tell her she hadn't even made it to Forks yet. She could hear Kate's hysterical laughter in the background, and that didn't make things any easier.

Finally, though, she made it. Currently, she was standing right before the treaty line, glaring at the La Push side with undisguised hatred. She half hoped that they would scent her and attack her first so Irina could say they broke the treaty with the Cullens, giving her even more reason to attack.

Then she remembered Alice's words and her own promise, and let out a low growl of frustration. Fine. She would go check on this Isabella girl first and find whatever Irina was supposed to find...and then she would be free. Free to taunt and torment the wolves until they crossed the line, where she could kill them without concern.

After all, after having taken such a long time to get here, she could stand to wait another day or two. What harm could it be?


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Yes, I know, I'm awesome. But this is what happens when I'm on a roll, especially with a particular story. Please enjoy my double update in a day, and tell me what you think. Also note that, while they all meet fairly fast, complications and drama will prolong them actually getting together with Bella._

* * *

Chapter 4

Surprisingly––or maybe not––in the four days that Bella had gotten to know Victoria, the redhead hadn't even tried to take a snap at her. In fact, if anything, Victoria seemed more concerned about Bella's well being than Bella herself. It was amusing to watch how anxious Victoria would get every time Bella so much as picked up a knife.

Charlie, thankfully, hadn't so much as muttered another word about castrating Jake, and seemed pretty happy about Victoria's involvement in Bella's life, although more than a little suspicious, afraid Victoria might end up being another Jacob––save for the whole crush part, which Victoria found humorous, since it was her love for Bella that had changed her life so dramatically.

He'd even had a talk with Victoria, explaining that Bella had been betrayed twice, both recently, in the past and he didn't want to see his little girl like that again––much to Bella's embarrassment. He was quite pleased with his talk when he saw the flash of honest anger on the redhead's face, and was sure that Bella had made a good friend.

Of course, he had no idea how they had met, or even what Victoria's eyes looked like behind her sunglasses. He was just happy that someone was once again making his little girl happy.

The two girls had become inseparable in their short time together, especially when Victoria admitted to everything she could, including her hand in Laurent's death––although she didn't mention them being mates, or that she knew who the wolves were, afraid it would hurt Bella further. In return, Bella had told Victoria everything, and had then calmed the vampire down just like she had done her father. They had talked and laughed and, many times, simply sat in silence, enjoying each other's company. Bella had no idea why she had felt so happy with the redhead, but she didn't care. She was just happy to have someone again. It was actually kind of funny, since Bella had been so tentative and scared, not just because Victoria was a vampire, but because of how things had worked out with the other people she had gotten close to. Yet this single vampire, a vampire whose mate had tried to kill her, and who Bella had thought was going to try to kill Bella herself, had managed to worm her way into Bella's heart with some simple smiles. Sure, those smiles were beyond drop dead sexy, but still.

Victoria was equally ecstatic. She didn't think things could have honestly gone better between them, and now Victoria spent basically every moment of every day with her mate. Her real, true mate, and things couldn't be better unless Bella would have no problem with Victoria kissing her senseless and fucking her brains out. Even when she left, it was only to either hunt, or so Charlie wouldn't get suspicious. Then Victoria would simply climb back into Bella's room through the window, and they would continue talking, albeit at a lower volume, until Bella fell asleep in Victoria's arms.

Yet while they got closer, Victoria found it was getting harder and harder to control herself. She wanted, needed, more. She craved to feel Bella's soft skin against hers, to find out how much of her naked body Victoria's imagination had gotten right. A part of her just wanted to bite and turn the human so Bella could feel what Victoria felt, but she was already at a point where she couldn't force the choice on her mate.

She was brought out of her musings by a mumbling brunette. A part of Victoria was hoping that she would start sleep talking again despite the hour––she did love hearing Bella talk, especially when she would say things like how comfortable Victoria was––but Bella was simply starting to wake up. Hazy brown eyes met red gold as they opened, and Bella smiled. "Hey Tori," she said as she realized she had once again woken up in the redhead's embrace. "Thanks for staying again."

"Anytime," Victoria replied with a charming smile, brushing some unruly hair out of Bella's face. Bella felt strangely embarrassed and struggled to get up, pulling out of Victoria's reluctant arms.

"Let me just...uh, make myself presentable," Bella mumbled as she managed to get off of the bed, thankfully without tripping over anything...save for some air as she was walking towards the door. Before she could slam into it head first, Victoria was there to catch her with a smirk, making Bella blush a bright red. "I know I'm getting a little repetitive here, but thanks."

"It's one of the reasons I'm here," Victoria replied mysteriously as she set the girl on her feet, releasing her to face the world outside of her bedroom.

Bella came back a good five minutes later, freshly showered and in a towel, which made Victoria suddenly focused on her with a laser like intensity. Bella noticed the redhead's black eyes and froze, heart pounding with nerves, yet not a trace of fear.

"I didn't notice before, but, uh, do you need to feed?" Bella asked nervously, shifting from foot to foot and making herself all the more tempting as her breasts jiggled lightly.

 _Oh, I need to feed on something._ Victoria almost purred out loud as she took a step towards Bella, unconsciously moving towards her in a predatory manner, but she got ahold of herself, shutting her eyes as she fought not to bring up the nearly naked human in her mind's eye. "I'm fine."

She could feel Bella's hesitation and concern––not for herself, but for Victoria––and the endearing emotions made it all the harder for Victoria not to lose control. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Just...please, get dressed," Victoria managed to say, at war with herself. The instinctive part of her demanded Victoria open her eyes and drink in Bella's body, appreciate it. Why shouldn't Victoria covet and claim what was hers?

The answer was simple; Victoria could still easily scare the human off, especially if Bella were to see see the desire in Victoria's eyes, and that was the last thing Victoria wanted. All she could be thankful for was that she had such control as the confused human did as Victoria asked, getting dressed and ready for the day ahead.

"Um, so...today's also a school day," Bella started hesitantly as she sat on the corner of the bed, wanting to reassure and help the redhead but unsure of how to do that.

"Yes, I know," Victoria answered simply, daring to open her eyes. She relaxed as she realized Bella was now fully clothed, and when Bella saw that Victoria had calmed down, she felt relief as well.

"So what are you going to do today?" Bella asked, cocking her head to the side in a curious manner.

"Oh, just hang around, maybe go hunt," Victoria said with a casual shrug, daring to sit down on the bed, close to her mate. _Not to mention go check up on those mutts and make sure you stay safe._

"Cool," Bella said with an awkward nod as she shifted on the bed next to the vampire. She glanced at Victoria's face, looked away, then looked back again––or, more specifically, she looked at Victoria's eyes.

"What is it?" Victoria asked, realizing that something was on Bella's mind. "I'm going to hunt some deer, if that's what you're worried about." While it did taste incredibly disgusting, she would take on the diet her mate preferred.

"No, that's not it!" Bella exclaimed hastily, surprising them both. Blushing a bright red at how Bella had sounded to her own ears, she buried her face in her hands. "God, this is going to sound so wrong. I can't believe I'm even thinking it."

"What? What is it?" Victoria asked, placing a coaxing hand on Bella's shoulder. "No matter what it is, you can tell me."

Bella peeked up from her hands hesitantly, as if trying to see the truth on Victoria's face before deciding to speak. "I love your eye color, okay? I think it's beautiful, and I just thought that I kinda didn't want you to keep drinking from only animals so your eyes could stay the same. I don't want any innocents to die though," she hurried to say, realizing how much she had stunned the red headed vampire. "Seriously. People already die too early enough as it is, and I don't want anything to contribute to that. It was just a stupid thought––"

"I can always hunt criminals," Victoria suggested with a small smile. Now it was her turn to surprise the human, as Bella froze, looking up at Victoria in shock. Victoria risked putting an arm around Bella's waist, relieved when Bella didn't pull away, or even seem to think it was weird. "I mean it, Bella. Animals are disgusting, and the only reason I switched to them is because I didn't want to upset or scare you. But if you like my eye color as it is so much, I can easily drink from animals and the occasional criminal human. In fact, I'd rather drink that way then just from animals."

"Why?" Bella asked, clearly confused. "Why would you do all this for me?"

"Because I want you to like me," Victoria answered, immediately and honestly. For a second, as emotions flashed across the human's eyes, she was worried she had admitted to too much. Then, Bella smiled.

"You're amazing, you know that? I––"

"Bells, it's time for school! You're going to be late!" Charlie shouted from downstairs, and Victoria wanted to curse the human for interrupting at such an important time. Why was it today of all days that Charlie hadn't needed to leave early, anyways?

Bella seemed as reluctant to leave, slowly getting up and pulling away from Victoria's arm. "Right. I'll see you later, then."

"Yes, you will," Victoria agreed, trying not to frown.

"Tonight?"

The hopefulness in Bella's voice made Victoria smile. "Yes, Bella. I'll be here tonight...maybe even sooner, if you leave your window open." With a sexy wink, Victoria was gone, leaving Bella alone in her room.

It didn't take long for Bella to recover and get ready for school, and Victoria waited and followed until Bella was getting out of the car in the school parking lot before taking off for Seattle. It was easy, even during the day, to find criminals lurking in cities, and it didn't take long for Victoria to find, drain, and kill a mugger with a knife. Once that was over with, Victoria ran back to Forks to check in on the wolves. She was simmering with anger when she overheard Jacob Black himself wanting to check in on Bella, despite what he had done. Thankfully, the alpha of the pack smartly reminded him of Charlie's threats, and the fact that the man seemed more than serious.

Once the talk was over, Victoria rushed back to Bella's house at a little past five, using the front door.

"Victoria," Charlie said when he opened it, clearly surprised to see her.

"Hello, Charlie," Victoria greeted him with a charming smile. "I know it's a little late, but I was hoping I could take Bella out really quick? There's something I really wanted to show her."

"Oh, uh...sure. Of course you can; just have her back here by nine, okay?" When Victoria nodded in agreement, Charlie turned back into the house to call out, "Bells! Someone wants to take you out!"

"I swear, if it's Jessica again…and Tori's supposed to be over any minute now too..." Victoria could hear Bella mumble to herself as she half walked, half stomped down the stairs, and tried to hide a smile. That task soon became impossible when Bella's eyes landed on her with a mix of confusion, shock, and excitement.

"So, can I take you out or no?" Victoria asked, placing a hand on a cocked hip as she smirked at Bella.

"Right...sure. Let me just get my coat." Apparently, Victoria had a special way of dazing the Swan family, as Bella nearly tripped over the first step as she hurried back upstairs to get her coat. She was back down soon enough, and Victoria was quick to take her arm and lead her out of the way, into the nearby forest and out of sight.

"So, where are you taking me?" Bella asked with excited curiosity.

"That depends on if you're going to tell me what you were about to say this morning. Right before your dad interrupted us," Victoria clarified, seeing Bella's confusion.

"Oh, right. I was just...you know, I was just going to say...wow, I always say the weirdest things," Bella muttered, mostly to herself as she tried to gather her thoughts and remember what she had been going to say. At that very moment, Victoria froze, not only sensing danger, but also catching the scent of a vampire. She pulled Bella into her body, turning to face the threat, meeting confused and worried golden eyes, but Bella didn't even notice. Instead, she just relaxed into Victoria's body, uncaring about the cold, and continued. "I'm just really happy that you helped kill Laurent. If it weren't for that––"

Bella didn't get to say another word, as the moment Bella had mentioned killing Laurent, the unrecognizable owner of the golden eyes froze for half a second, her face twisting with rage. Then, with an anguished, furious roar, she lunged.

Pushing Bella behind her, Victoria jumped forward to meet the attacker.

Victoria didn't care who it was; anyone who posed a threat to Bella would die.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Whelp, here it is. Tell me what you guys think and such, and I'll try to write more as soon as I can._

* * *

Chapter 5

Bella bit back a scream when Victoria collided with a blonde female hard enough to break a normal human's bones. Knowing how utterly useless she'd be in a fight, she stepped back as best as she could, eyes wide as she observed the fight. Both vampires were snarling loudly as they wrestled and slashed; this wasn't some fancy, calculated vampire fight. This was a fight based on pure emotions.

The fight went on for what felt like forever, with Bella feeling like an idiotic, useless damsel in distress. But what could she do? Try to intervene and get killed? Yell for help and either reveal vampires to some unlucky human or just make them take the fight elsewhere? Yeah, Bella hated to admit it, but there was no doubt that she was basically useless. All she could do was watch, and hope that Victoria came out on top.

They continued to wrestle, snarling and snapping, and Bella had no choice but to jump back when they rolled near her. Only, that jump led her to a slip, and with a short scream, she fell on her ass.

Irina and Victoria both looked up then, one concerned for their mate, the other concerned for the human her cousins cared about so much. When Victoria was sure that her mate wasn't injured, she focused back on the threat and hand, only to find that Irina was still staring at Bella with wide eyes, and Bella was staring back in confusion.

 _Mate._ The knowledge of what Bella was to Irina was enough to make her freeze. She stared for a long time, stunned by the knowledge that Laurent wasn't it for her, but this human was her forever instead. Immediately, she wanted to get the human away from the other vampire, to talk and learn and touch her once they were safe. All thoughts of revenge were quickly extinguished, replaced by a need for her real, true mate.

Victoria, sensing the opening, flipped them over so she was now on top, grabbing the vampire's head and twisting so she could rip the blonde apart. Irina let out a hissing scream, trying to fight it, but finding her mate had made her drop her defenses, defenses she had no way of recovering.

"Tori stop!" Bella shouted as she stumbled over to them. Victoria looked at her incredulously. Was her mate really going to make Victoria let this vampire, this _threat,_ go? Did Bella really want to give the blonde a chance to attack again? "Tori, please, let her go. She might've just been trying to protect me or something. I mean, her eyes...I think she's related to the Cullens."

Victoria hissed as the family's name left her mate's lips, but she had no choice. She knew it would hurt Bella if Victoria were to kill anybody related to _them_ even after all they had done to her. Victoria let the blonde go, flipping off her to protectively stand in front of Bella.

Irina quickly got to her feet as well, the cracks on her neck and face slowly but surely disappearing, and Bella felt a swell of relief for the blonde that she didn't even know. "I'm Bella, this is Victoria," Bella spoke up shyly, trying to lessen the tension as the two vampires glared at each other. "What's your name?"

For a moment, Irina didn't respond, too fixated on the way the redheaded vampire was acting around _her_ mate. Almost as if this Victoria woman was claiming her. The thought made her lips lift in a snarl, but then her gaze moved to Bella and softened. "I'm Irina; Irina Denali. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Irina purred with a little seductiveness to her tone, making the brunette blush a little and Victoria snarl, realizing that the blonde was putting the moves on _her_ mate.

 _Oh, Laurent. If you were alive, you would have a lot of explaining to do,_ Irina thought with venom as she realized that Laurent had to have known they weren't mated, yet had managed to trick her into thinking they were. Then her eyes widened, making the connection between Laurent and Victoria, and she tensed with a threatening growl. "Victoria? As in James's Victoria? The woman who wanted to kill Bella?" She needed to get Bella away from the woman, and fast.

"I never wanted to kill her!" Victoria snapped heatedly. "And James tricked me. He made me believe I was his mate, but then I...I realized I was wrong. I never belonged to him."

Huh. Who would have guessed they would have something in common? If Victoria hadn't been acting like Irina's mate belonged to her, Irina felt they might have actually, possibly, become friends.

"Interesting," Irina murmured, keeping her expression blank. She looked over to Bella, focusing the majority of her attention on the human, still keeping a wary eye on Victoria. "You are Isabella Swan, correct? I've been curious about you for a while now." Although while she had always been a little curious about the human, she had never realized how invested she should have been in Bella. "What is your relationship with this vampire?"

"She's my friend," Bella answered, immediately and honestly, which made Irina smirk as she realized what Victoria wanted was probably something Bella didn't even consider. Victoria caught the look and hissed lowly under her breath, glaring daggers at the blonde. Bella didn't seem to notice the exchange as she tried to think up a reason for why Irina would be interested in her. "You're related to the Cullens, aren't you?" Bella asked, surprised when she felt no pain when mentioning their name. Maybe it was because she felt closer to them again?

"Yes, I'm one of their cousins," Irina admitted, once again focusing on the brunette. "I came to see how you were doing." She almost added that Alice had asked her to, but thought better of it. She didn't want Bella to think that Irina was standing here now because she was told to, and also was afraid of what bringing up Alice's name would cause in the human. Even without a thorough examination, she could see a dark shadow in Bella's eyes, as if she had been through a lot of pain.

"Oh. Um, so why...why did you attack Victoria?" Bella almost asked why Irina was here, but was stopped by a sliver of fear. It was like a part of her believed questioning the blonde would make her disappear.

"It was because I heard she had killed someone close to me," Irina stated simply. "But that doesn't matter." No, what mattered now was getting Bella away from Victoria and then seducing the human.

"It doesn't matter?" Bella asked with disbelief, looking from Victoria to Irina in shock. "If Tori really did kill someone you cared about, I can't really imagine you getting over it so easily."

Irina shrugged. "Yet I did. Although, I do admit that there are some factors involved in my reasons for getting over it."

"Perhaps because you realized I'm a better fighter and could kill you if I wanted to?" Victoria asked with an overly sweet smile that showed her teeth, igniting Irina's anger.

"You only got me because I had been caught off guard," Irina hissed, eyes darkening with fury as she took a threatening step closer to the redhead. "If you hadn't taken advantage of my distraction like a coward, we both know I would have won."

"Oh, really?" Victoria asked in a low, deadly voice.

"You do remember who was on top at the time, yes? I was going to win," Irina replied with a low growl as she stalked forward so they were eye to eye, only a few feet between them. _Not just win the fight, but win my mate as well._

"Are you both forgetting that what I saw can hardly be classified as a fight?" Bella interrupted, stepping between them and putting a hand on the chests of both women as if she would actually be able to keep them apart. "Because seriously, you two were rolling around on the ground like a couple of preschoolers."

Realizing the truth of Bella's statement, both looked away in embarrassment, more than a little humiliated at how they had acted in front of their mate. Victoria was the first to recover.

"I'm a much better fighter than what I showed you, I promise," Victoria swore, taking hold of the hand on her chest to look deeply into Bella's eyes, making Irina snarl at the touch. "No matter what happens, I will always be able to protect you."

The only reason Irina didn't rip away Bella from the redheaded vampire's grip was because she didn't want to hurt the human. Instead, she reached out and cupped Bella's cheek, turning the girl's face to look into her eyes. "I am also a much better fighter," she murmured, pressing closer to the girl. "In fact, I believe I'm better than your friend here at quite a few things...some of which I believe you will find quite enjoyable, _moje srdce_." The last was said in a purr that Bella barely heard due to Victoria's snarl. Unsure why she was suddenly flustered, Bella looked away, blushing bright red, but made no move to remove the cool hand still on her cheek.

Victoria was absolutely seething. If Bella hadn't been between them, she would have lunged across the small space and ripped the blonde's throat out. Instead, she had to settle for glaring at Irina, teeth bared, poised to attack given the opportunity.

Irina looked away from the brunette to meet Victoria's glare haughtily. "You might as well back off now; she's my mate and I'll have her claimed by the end of the week," she said, too fast and low for Bella to hear.

At that, Victoria nearly roared. "What did you say? Bella is _mine,_ " she said, once again at a volume and speed that left Bella clueless.

"It seems your entire little clan has the same problem; all of you take what you want, even when you know it doesn't belong to you," Irina replied, slipping an arm around Bella's waist.

This time, Victoria did roar, taking a step forward. How _dare_ she? How _dare_ this blonde bimbo try to not only steal Bella, but dismiss Victoria's own claim on the girl?

"Uh, guys?" Bella spoke up awkwardly from where she was now smushed between two cool and firm bodies, so tightly she was afraid to move. "Can we back up a little bit here? And no fighting, please."

Both vampires let out an angry sigh, letting Bella know how unhappy they were with Bella's particular desire, but backed up so the human could have some breathing room. Still, both kept a hand on Bella, staking their claim.

For some reason, Bella was suddenly very, very exhausted. For some reason, although she still wasn't sure why, she felt like she was in the middle of some kind of pissing match. And while she wanted both girls to stay, although she still wasn't sure why when it came to one, she wouldn't be able to keep them both around at the same time when they looked ready to fight the second Bella so much as blinked for too long.

"Your eyes," Irina said, staring at Victoria with pursed lips. "Those eyes mean you are either fairly new to our lifestyle, or you had a slip up." Her lips curved into a taunting smile. "Either way, I'd say it means you're too dangerous for Bella to be around. It would be so easy for you to make a mistake...at the very least, I'll have to stay around to protect my young human, here."

Victoria snapped her teeth at Irina with anger, her entire body shaking as she glared at the blonde. She opened her mouth to say exactly what Irina could do with her protection, but Bella interrupted.

"Irina, please don't taunt Victoria, okay? She's a really good friend of mine. As for her eyes––yes, she is new to the whole drinking animal thing, but I've bled in front of her and she never even had to take a step away from me. Also, I really like the way the color of her eyes the way they are. They're more gorgeous than any kind of gold or red."

Victoria sent a smug look over at Irina, silently bragging about the fact that Bella liked her eyes better, only to scowl when she realized her look was wasted. Wasted, because Irina's surprised eyes were completely focused on Bella.

"I see. I apologize, Isabella," Irina said, taking Bella's hand to kiss the back of it, making Bella blush.

"Oh, um, it's uh, no problem," Bella stuttered out. "But, if anything, you should be apologizing to Victoria. You know, for insulting and attacking her and all."

"I suppose I should," Irina agreed, but made no move to actually apologize, or even look in Victoria's direction. Instead, she kept her gaze on Bella's face as she stroked her thumb across the back of Bella's knuckles.

Victoria gritted her teeth loud enough for even Bella to hear. _I swear, if Bella hadn't asked that I not fight with her, that bitch would have been nothing but kindling by now._

Sensing how upset Victoria was getting, she leaned into the redhead to calm her down––only in doing so, this also set Irina off. Bella's eyes widened when she realized Irina was mad, although she had no idea why. She almost wanted to curse; what could Bella possibly do to force them to calm down?

That's when the idea came to her. "You know, it's getting kinda late; Charlie's going to be wanting me home soon. Maybe we can continue this conversation after I get home up in my room?" Bella asked with a hopeful smile. It wasn't just that Bella didn't want either girl to leave, but she also was honestly afraid that if she left them alone for even a moment, they'd try to kill each other. She didn't understand why they seemed to already hate each other so much; maybe it was because of that friend Victoria killed?

Both vampires glared at each other for a long moment. Then Victoria sighed and nodded, and Irina grumbled out a, "Fine."

"Great. Let's get going then, okay? And I don't think Charlie would want you guys up in my room so late, so you're going to have to sneak in," Bella said, eagerly and automatically grabbing one of each girl's hands with hers to pull them along.

Irina glowered at Victoria when she noticed it, and Victoria, in turn, flipped her off. Bella caught this, and nearly groaned out loud.

This was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Sorry I took so long, and sorry that the chapter is so short. I just couldn't figure out how to lengthen it, and since I'm trying to hurry and read/update all of my stories to get back on track, I figured I'd just update with this and try to get something better out next time. Also, for some reason none of the new reviews on any of my stories are showing up, so if anyone knows how to fix that, can they PM me? Thanks!_

* * *

Chapter 6

It wasn't long until the two vampires got Bella back to her home, and it took only another twenty minutes or so for Bella to say goodnight to Charlie and head upstairs to bed, with both Victoria and Irina already waiting for her. There was, however, one more problem the two vampires had to face.

As of now, Victoria and Irina would only agree on one thing, and one thing alone; what they were currently experiencing was absolute torture.

Bella––innocent, naive, thickheaded Bella––was sitting cross legged on the middle of her bed with Irina and Victoria standing at opposite sides of the mattress, refusing to get closer to each other, and honestly, afraid they'd lose control if they got any closer to Bella. The reason was simple; Bella was wearing a very skimpy tank top and tight, short shorts to bed, and it was driving both crazy. What made it worse was that they could smell each other's arousal, which made them want to claim Bella even more than if they had to simply deal with Bella's attire.

"Guys, come on, can't you get along?" Bella complained as she shifted on her bed. Unknowingly to her, it wasn't her words, but her movements, that caused the vampires to stop glaring at each other and focus completely on her once again. "I really want you both here with me, and that's hard to do if you can't stop glaring at each other for more than five seconds."

At hearing the stress in Bella's voice, both vampires immediately felt guilty. They wanted to make Bella comfortable and loved, not stressed out and worried. But Victoria was the only one to offer a verbal apology, as Irina was distracted by her phone a second later.

"Hey Tanya," Irina greeted her sister as she sat down next to Bella on the bed––something Victoria stiffened at, but couldn't risk verbally or physically opposing, as it would be all too obvious to Bella. "What do you want to hear this time?"

Bella found herself blushing as Irina leaned into her side, and she looked down at her hands self consciously. It felt way too nice to have a near-stranger pressed against her side, and she had no idea why she felt the urge to lean back into the blonde as well. She just knew she wanted to increase the contact.

In less than a second, Irina noticed Bella's reaction, and her lips curved upwards in a sly smile as she stretched herself out more fully against Bella, draping herself over the brunette as she held the phone to her ear.

At the same time, Victoria noticed it all as well. Lips curling back from her teeth in a snarl, she hooked an arm around Bella's waist, her hand slipping between Bella and Irina's bodies. She made sure to cuddle up to Bella's free side, close enough that Bella was captured by the feel of the redhead as well.

Irina scowled at Victoria, imagining all sorts of creative ways to throw her across the room, or out of the house, without Bella being any wiser. Those fantasies, however, were halted by Tanya's voice.

"Have you listened to a single word I said?" Tanya demanded, voice louder than before, making even Bella jump with surprise.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Irina replied as she playfully ran a finger down Bella's cheek, making the girl's breath catch in her throat.

"I said, please tell me you didn't kill anyone," Tanya repeated irritably.

"Oh, no, not yet. But I plan on taking at least someone down," Irina said, low enough that Bella couldn't hear, with a huge smile that showed plenty of teeth towards Victoria. Victoria growled lowly in reply, and never moving her eyes from Irina, leaned towards Bella and skimmed her lips up Bella's neck.

Bella felt herself get light headed, but ironically enough, it wasn't from fear of having a vampire's teeth so close to her neck.

"Irina! Tell me you still aren't planning on killing the Quiletes!" Tanya scolded her, barely catching Irina's attention, as she was busy glowering at Victoria.

"Huh? What, no. Why would you think that?" Irina asked, turning away from Bella and Victoria even as she cuddled deeper into Bella's body.

Irina could almost feel Tanya's incredulity over the phone. "Because of Laurent?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Irina said, a little sheepishly, as she hadn't given much thought to either Laurent or the Quilettes since her eyes landed on Bella. "Sorry, sorry, I sort of forgot about them."

"How could you––?"

"Sorry Tanya, gotta go," Irina said and hung up, catching sight of Victoria making a move, the redhead's hand slightly under Bella's shirt as she whispered in Bella's ear. She had to get Bella's attention on her, and fast. Would taking her own shirt off scare her off though? That was the real question.

"You're a bit of an airhead, aren't you?" Bella blurted out, causing Irina to turn to look at her with bewilderment. Victoria was shaking with laughter, hiding her face against Bella's neck, as Bella blushed a bright red. "God, I didn't mean it like that, I swear. I just meant, you seem to get really focused on something, and forget about everything else. I can't believe I just asked you that, I was just curious, I––"

"It's fine, Bella," Irina said as she regained her composure, turning on the sexy charm instead. She took Bella's face in her hands and brought her close, which quickly cut off Victoria's laughter. "I do get very...passionate, I admit. But I believe you will learn to find out how enjoyable that can be."

Bella nodded, a little dazed at Irina's sexy smile. "So what are you passionate about now?" Bella asked curiously, since it was clear Irina was definitely following after something.

"Oh, do you really want to know? Well, what I'm––"

"Time for bed," Victoria interrupted before Irina could risk everything. "You do have school tomorrow, remember? And it's getting really late."

Sighing, Bella reluctantly nodded. "Right. But just...no fighting, please?" Bella had also almost asked if the two vampires could stay with her, but that was stupid. Sure, Victoria had done so, seemingly every night, but she couldn't expect a somewhat stranger to do so as well, even if Bella felt like she had known the blonde her whole life. Not to mention she could still tell the two couldn't stand each other.

"We promise," both said as one, Irina somewhat petulantly as she had been interrupted, and then both subtly fought over who was going to help put Bella to bed. Bella caught them wrestling for the blankets at one point, thankfully not hard enough to break it, and rolled her eyes at them before taking the blanket away to do it herself.

Surprisingly, and Bella really meant it in the best possible way, both girls climbed under the covers with her.

"You're staying?" Bella asked, trying to mask how excited and pleased she was.

"If that is okay with you," Irina said, a little anxiously. She didn't like how confident Victoria looked being in Irina's bed, and Irina knew that if one of them was going to be kicked out, it would be Irina, and not the annoying red head.

"Of course," Bella said with a huge smile, before quickly adding, "But no fighting."

"No fighting," Victoria agreed, with Irina quickly nodding as well. The two vampires met eyes over Bella's head, and silently, swore a truce...at least for tonight.

It wasn't long until Bella fell asleep, and their torture continued. Bella seemed to have some very good dreams, after all, and while they weren't clear, she did mumble both Victoria and Irina's name often.

* * *

A loud growl nearly shook the clearing, lips skimming back from sharp teeth as the black wolf shook himself out, trying to contain himself. A vampire! A vampire had actually been so close, right on the treaty line...and one he didn't recognize, which meant the Cullens were not the ones to try to tempt him into breaking the treaty himself.

It infuriated him. The stench was well over hours old, yet it was he, and only he, who had caught the scent. Not Paul, not Jared, not even Jake, the so called true Alpha, when they had been on their own patrols today. No, it was him who had caught the scent, but by the time he did so, it had been so long that it would be hard to track the scent to the vampire itself.

Sam let out a long, loud howl, calling the pack to him. He had to wait a good ten minutes until he even heard the sound of his packmates hurrying through the forest, which only increased his irritation. Why was he the only one who took things seriously around here?

 _What? What's going on?_ Quil thought, sounding like he had just woken up from a nap as he burst into the small clearing. Really? How could the one wolf who had been asleep manage to get to Sam before anyone else?

 _There's been an unidentified vampire, nearly on our lands. That makes two vampires we need to find and kill now,_ Sam growled, and was quite pleased when he heard the other wolves echo his anger and quicken their pace.

It wasn't much longer until they were all gathered, each taking a moment to sniff at the stale scent to pick up the trail.

The Quileute wolves were going on a hunt, and this time, they were going to kill whatever vampire dared to come to Forks.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: A few people were concerned about neither vampire being particularly happy with the arrangement, but I guarantee you that everything will work out later. I just needed it to be this way, otherwise the whole situation would be a lot more boring and simple. Also just wanted to thank you guys for the wait. I'm kinda on a roll now, so let's see if I can continue and update any of my other fics._

* * *

Chapter 7

There had been quite a few arguments, not to mention catfights, between Victoria and Irina as they waited for Bella to be done with school. While nobody needed to reattach any limbs, it had certainly gotten close, only to be interrupted by another phone call for Irina.

Irina, clearly irritated at the interruption, had to calmly explain to Tanya that she was fine, everything was okay, and that Irina was going to hang around town for a bit to keep an eye on Bella. All the while, Victoria was left waiting, toe tapping, a tight grip on her anger to make sure it didn't fly away, as she waited for Irina to finish. Thankfully, the call was over in a few minutes, and Victoria flew at Irina with new determination to mess up that perfect blonde hair the second the other vampire had hung up the phone.

The next time they were interrupted was by Bella herself pulling into her driveway. The second she stepped out of the car, the two vampires righted themselves, helped clean each other up, and made themselves beyond presentable––much to each other's irritation, as both vampires had to admit the other vampire was drop dead gorgeous––before Bella had even made it up the steps. By the time she had opened the door to her room, both girls were lounging about, acting as innocent as they could manage.

"Hello Bella. Have a good day?" Victoria was the first to greet the human, slipping between Irina and Bella so she could hug the human. She held on just a little tightly, letting her fingers slip under the back of Bella's shirt to skim the heated skin.

Irina ground her teeth, but quickly plastered on an excited and sweet expression when a flushed Bella pulled back. "I missed you," was all she said in sultry voice, taking Bella from Victoria's arms so she could also hug the human. Unlike Victoria, who didn't want to risk accidentally scaring Bella off, Irina gave Bella a tight hug, making sure that she was pressed up against Bella in all the right places.

Having had enough of Irina all but dry humping _her_ mate, Victoria pulled Bella towards her, making the human feel like she was the rope in a game of tug of war. "So, what do you want to do today?" Victoria asked with a slightly forced smile.

"Um, I don't really know...I have a lot of homework," Bella said, frowning as she thought about it. She had always been a serious student, but now, all she wanted was to throw her homework out the window and just hang with Irina and Victoria from now until the end of time. Really though, what was going on with her? What was it about these two vampires that made Bella want to forget about everything but them?

"Who cares about that when you have us?" Irina asked with a sultry smirk, reaching out to take Bella again. Victoria jerked Bella away, but the human herself barely noticed, horrified by what Irina was suggesting.

"Are you telling me to cheat?" Bella asked, looking almost disgusted with the thought.

"What? No, I just meant––you know, the...thing...vampires…" Irina said weakly, trying and failing to come up with an excuse.

"You can do your homework while we hang out," Victoria suggested, just a little bit smug. "Spending time with you, regardless of what we're doing, is time well spent."

"Somebody's a playgirl, isn't she?" Irina mumbled sulkily under her breath as she crossed her arms.

"Says the succubus," Victoria hissed in reply. At Irina's shocked look, Victoria only gained confidence. "Don't think I wouldn't have heard about what you and your sisters have been up to. I'm not going to let you do the same to Bella that you did to all of those other humans."

"I would never hurt her," Irina growled, furious at the thought.

"So you just want to fuck her then? I will never let that happen."

Bella glanced between the two vampires, sighing when she realized that they were once again discussing something that they didn't want Bella to be a part of––or at the very least didn't want Bella to hear. Figuring that they were going to continue regardless of what Bella said, Bella attempted to extract herself from Victoria's arms.

It was the human's grunting and struggling that alerted both vampires that something was amiss. When they looked towards the human in question, they realized that, in their exchanged words, Victoria had not just tightened her grip so that Bella was unable to escape, but Irina had moved into their personal space. Bella was now not only stuck in Victoria's arms, but stuck between Victoria and Irina's bodies as well. While both enjoyed having their mate's body moving against theirs, both also realized that this wasn't exactly the best situation for any of them to be in––especially when they were still stuck as "just friends."

"Sorry," the vampires chorused. Victoria released the human and both vampires took a step back, although not too far away.

Bella felt oddly flustered stuck between the two gorgeous women, but having them so close yet not touching her felt worse; Bella could practically feel the cold radiating from their bodies. It was almost...erotic.

Wait, what? No, Bella did _not_ just think that. Bad brain. Very, very bad brain!

Victoria's nostrils flared, scenting hints of Bella's arousal. Her gaze flashed to the blushing human, then up to Irina to glare at her, only to find Irina doing the same. Unknowing to the other, a scared, possessive question flashed in each of their minds: _Who was Bella reacting to?_

"Homework. Homework needs to be done," Bella said aloud, mostly so she could snap herself out of it. She scurried away from the vampires to sit at her desk, only to be stopped by the vampires.

"Sit on the bed," both said at the exact same time, before exchanging an agitated look with each other.

"But it'll be hard to write…" Bella said, although she felt very interested in the idea. Not that she knew why, but Bella had to admit working on her bed was appealing.

"If you have that much trouble, I could always be your desk," Irina piped up, only to realize a second too late how stupid and desperate she sounded. She wanted to do a facepalm, but felt that would only make her humiliation worse, especially with the malicious laughter she caught in Victoria's eyes.

"I think I'll be alright," Bella said, and when she sent Irina a weird look, the blonde just wanted to die.

Thankfully, Bella did gather her stuff and sit on the bed, and Victoria and Irina each ended up on a side of her.

The human was quiet, desperate to finish her work and afraid that if she were to stop, she'd get distracted by the deliciously smelling vampires on either side of her. Not that Bella was so focused on their scents, per se, it was just that they smelled really, really good. Vampire good, of course. There was no way they just smelled that good to _her._ Although, Bella didn't remember Edward ever smelling that good…

Bella nearly winced, prepared for the pain to hit, only to realize there was nothing. No pain, no hurt emotions. In fact, Bella felt strangely...whole. Whole and happy in a way that Bella couldn't remember feeling before, even when she was with her family.

Victoria opened her mouth to say something, sensing when Bella's thoughts shifted away from her math homework. But after taking a moment to look at Bella's face, she decided not to say anything, instead throwing an arm over Bella's shoulders and pulling the girl into her body.

Irina frowned, seeing how Bella relaxed into Victoria. A worry that Victoria might actually win itched at the back of her mind, but Irina refused to believe it. Sure, she had messed up with the mating bond thing with Laurent, but there was no way this wasn't real. Bella was her mate, she was sure of it.

Since Bella was obviously trying to get her homework done, Irina stretched out on her side, wrapping her arms around Bella's waist and resting her head on Bella's stomach. Bella only had to shift a bit to be able to keep writing, and while she did so, her other hand absently moved to Irina's back.

Irina's purr was what snapped Bella out of her thoughts, and she realized that, in her daze, she had been stroking the top of Irina's back. Bella opened her mouth to apologize, but stopped when she realized that Irina wasn't just purring, but that her eyes were closed in pleasure. Unable to help herself, Bella pushed some hair out of Irina's face. A strange emotion welled up in her chest when Irina caught her hand, holding it against her face, as Irina's eyes opened to look at her.

Time seemed to stop as Bella gazed into those golden orbs, and Bella knew her heart was pounding in her chest. Bella wanted to kiss the blonde so badly, which only made the human more and more anxious. So many questions spun around in her brain, questions Bella hoped would be answered without being spoken. Because if Bella voiced them, she was sure she would die of embarrassment.

Would Irina find her weird for craving a kiss? Why did Bella even want to kiss Irina in the first place? As far as Bella knew, she had never been into girls. But still...god, did she want to kiss Irina right then. But what about Victoria? Wait, what did Victoria have to do with any of this? Apparently a lot, according to Bella's hormones.

Victoria scowled and Irina smiled as they heard, smelled, and saw Bella's reaction. Now Victoria was the one worried; worried that this stupid blonde might actually be able to steal Victoria's mate away. But how could that be possible? Mates were supposed to be drawn to each other, to desire each other. Nobody else should be able to get between them.

None of the three girls would ever know what would have happened next, as an ominous howl split the air, echoed by several more.

Bella shivered, reaching backwards to attempt to rub away the goosebumps that had appeared on the back of her neck. Suddenly, she was falling back against her bed with a soft grunt as Victoria and Irina flashed over to the window.

The two exchanged a glance, an entire silent conversation happening between them. They knew who was coming–– _what_ was coming––and they were approaching fast. Without a doubt, Victoria and Irina were going to protect Bella with their lives, and there was no way in hell they were going to let themselves get driven away. With severe doubt that a civil conversation was going to happen between them and the mongrels, they knew there was only one real option; they were going to have to fight.

"Guys, what's going on?" Bella asked, standing up with a concerned look in her eyes. While she wasn't exactly sure what was happening, she could sense enough to know that there was some kind of trouble––big trouble, if two vampires were getting so worked up.

"Bella…" Victoria started, realizing how much the upcoming events might hurt her mate. But before she could begin to explain, the fast paced paws came to a stop. Reluctantly, Victoria turned away. "Stay here."

"But––" Before Bella could even try to protest, Victoria launched herself out the window.

"Everything's going to be fine," Irina assured the human, kissing her forehead before following Victoria out.

It was time. They had to face the threat. And if necessary, they were going to fight. There was no other choice; the wolves were already here.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

There were nine of them, with a particularly large black one taking the alpha position of the pack. All stopped right at the edge of the forest, low rumbling growls tearing out of each of their throats. One russet colored wolf seemed especially furious and upset to find the two female vampires waiting for them. His eyes kept on darting from them to Bella's window, and Victoria knew without a doubt that the wolf was Jacob.

"Can we help you?" Victoria asked coolly, eyes on the black alpha. The wolf snarled and lunged at the redhead, and it looked like a fight was inevitable; her instincts were screaming that danger was fast approaching. However, surprising both Victoria and Irina herself, Irina stepped between them. The warning of danger died down to a low hum, telling Victoria that it was a dangerous situation to be in, but no longer life threatening.

"We have a treaty," Irina said with a sweet but clearly fake smile. "If you attack us on Cullen lands, that treaty is broken, and we have every reason to rip your entire pack and tribe to shreds."

The black wolf paused, and with a frustrated snarl, ran off into the woods. A second later, he came back out as a human male. "You're not the Cullens. Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill the both of you."

"Because we're their cousins, and therefore included in the treaty," Irina replied, deciding it best not to get into technicalities and risk them attacking Victoria. That would definitely upset Bella, and Irina would have no choice but to kill the wolves, which would then upset the Cullens and Tanya. "I really don't think you want eleven vampires coming for revenge; and that's if you manage to kill both me and Victoria."

"So the blondie can do math, surprise surprise," Victoria mumbled lowly, earning a glare from Irina and a strange bark from a sandy colored wolf.

The man in front of them glowered, knowing the blonde was right. The wolves had so much trouble tracking down and fighting the dreadlocked vampire, and had only managed to kill him because they had found him badly injured. What would happen if vampires that knew them, knew what they were capable of, would attack? The only way Sam could kill these vampires without risk to his tribe and his pack is if he claimed they had broken the treaty first.

Just like that, his eyes zeroed in on the red headed vampire. "Her eyes have red in them. She drank human blood," he stated, a trace of triumph in his voice. "Drinking human blood breaks the treaty, and gives us every reason to attack!"

Snarls and howls broke out from the wolves, and Victoria once again readied herself for a fight. However, once again, Irina intervened.

"As you can see, her eyes are mostly gold; she is clearly transitioning to the vegetarian lifestyle, once she joined the coven," Irina lied. Her next words, however, were the truth. "But also, your treaty states that we're not supposed to drink human blood––specifically, the blood of innocents."

"The last human I drank from was a mugger who had tried to mug and stab me," Victoria added gleefully. "That's hardly an innocent, don't you think?"

"We don't know that! You could be lying!" Sam snarled, taking a threatening step closer, his wolves mirroring the move.

"True, but I wouldn't lie about that," Victoria replied honestly. "It would hurt Bella, and I would do anything to avoid that."

The russet wolf stiffened at Bella's name, then let out a confused whine, as if he wondered what these two girls have to do with Bella.

"You expect me to believe a leech?" Sam growled, taking a threatening step forward. "If anything, we should get you as far away from Bella as we can. Just look at what the Cullens did to her before."

Victoria snarled at that, something Irina took notice of and couldn't help but wonder about. She knew the Cullens had left Bella alone, but didn't know much beyond that. She was going to find out soon though, she swore it to herself.

"While I am affiliated with them," Victoria started, going along with the lie. "I am _not_ like them. I would rather die than let Bella suffer.

Sam glared at her, getting only angrier when he saw the truth and honesty in the red headed vampire's eyes. His entire body started to shake with rage as he realized the two vampires were not only part of the treaty, but also had no intention of leaving. His hands were tied, and there was nothing he could do without breaking the treaty and receiving the wrath of not only a coven full of vampires, but the pack elders as well.

"You take one more human life, and we'll take you out. Got it?" Sam demanded, his voice sounding more like a wolf's growl than a human voice.

" _Innocent_ human," Victoria corrected tauntingly, only to realize that fighting the wolves wasn't in Bella's best interest. But Victoria had trouble controlling herself; it was just so easy, and the alpha was such an _ass._ It was people like this alpha that Victoria used to take extreme pleasure in taunting, terrifying, and killing.

"Unless you come to us with proof that your kills aren't innocent humans, then we'll assume they are, and we _will_ consider it a break in the treaty," Sam said, a cocky smirk on his face. "So good luck." With a sarcastic wave that was used more to flip the vampires off, Sam shifted to his wolf form. Angry snarls echoed through the pack as they realized they wouldn't be fighting or killing any vampires, and a few snapped their teeth in the vampires' direction. Then, one by one, they plunged back into the forest; only one hesitated, the russet wolf that was Jacob Black. He let out a soft, mournful whine as he glanced up towards Bella's window, then growled lowly when he glared at the vampires. But soon he, too, was gone.

Victoria and Irina let out a long, unnecessary breath and turned back towards the house as one. They hadn't taken more than two steps, and Victoria was about to launch herself up into the tree outside of Bella's window when Irina just _had_ to speak.

"What did the Cullens do to Bella that hurt her so much?" Irina demanded, grabbing Victoria by the back of her shirt just as Victoria's feet left the ground. Victoria let out a furious snarl as she was pulled backwards, the fabric ripping from the strength of the jump, which pissed Victoria off even more. Of course, it didn't help that she fell on her ass either.

Irina started to laugh, but Victoria got in her face, shutting her up. "You want to know, ask Bella. Although I doubt she'll tell you; you are basically a stranger, after all," Victoria said with a smirk, just to get under Irina's skin. She left the blonde hissing with anger as she scaled the tree, then hopped into the open window. A now pissed off Irina followed, but nothing was said as they realized that Bella was waiting for them, and that she was upset.

"Are you two alright? Were you hurt?" Bella asked worriedly, looking them over quickly before her eyes zeroed in on the ripped part of Victoria's shirt. "Oh my god, Tori. What happened?" She turned the vampire around, and Victoria was suddenly very pleased that Irina had stopped her. She sent Irina a gloating look as Bella worried over her.

"I'm fine," Victoria said, feeling the need to calm her mate down more than the need to rub Bella's worry over her in Irina's face. "It was an accident."

"You weren't saying that when I ripped it," Irina grumbled in complaint, clearly sulking now.

"That's because you decided to laugh instead of apologize," Victoria snapped back. "And because you've been pissing me off since––"

"Enough! Not now!" Bella stated firmly as she stepped between the two glaring vampires. "Really, you come back after facing a bunch of giant wolves, and the first thing you do is get at each other's throats. Seeing all that scared the living daylights out of me. I had no idea what was going to happen, and I felt so useless because I knew I couldn't do anything...what if you had gotten hurt? What if you had _died_?"

"Fuck," Victoria reached out to Bella as tears started to well in the human's eyes, but she hesitated, unsure of what exactly she should be doing. It was one thing to protect Bella from the world or from other people, but she had no idea what to do when it was partially her fault for hurting Bella. An apology didn't feel like enough, and it got stuck in her throat when she tried to say it anyways. A swell of panic grew in her chest as her instincts realized _Victoria_ was at fault for her mate's pain.

"We're so sorry, Bella," Irina said, surprisingly coming to Victoria's rescue as she pulled Bella into her arms. "We didn't mean to scare you, and we definitely didn't mean to make you cry. But neither of us were hurt, okay? Not a single wolf even got close enough to touch us. Everything's fine." Irina leaned down and kissed away Bella's tears, which should have made the human feel embarrassed. Instead, Bella just felt a sense of comfort and safety.

"I'm sorry too," Bella said, wiping at her eyes. "God, I'm such a girl. Just give me a minute."

"Bella, you have no reason to apologize," Victoria cut in, sounding angrier than she meant to. Irina gave her a glare, but Victoria didn't get upset by it, since she knew she had actually fucked up this time. She worked to soften her voice, adding, "You really don't need to apologize. I mean, we scared you, and...well, if anything, it makes me feel good that you cried." Irina gave Victoria another glare, and Victoria's eyes widened as she realized how that sounded. She quickly backpedaled, saying, "I mean, I'm not happy that you cried. I'm just...it feels good knowing that you cried for us. That you care about us that much. That's all. I didn't mean it in any kind of––"

"It's okay, Tori, I know what you mean," Bella interrupted with a soft laugh, reaching out to grab Victoria's hand. The vampire visibly calmed when Bella squeezed, and let out a sigh of relief. Bella found it pretty funny to see, especially since it was amazing how good Victoria could be with words one moment, then how bad she could be with words the next. It was something Bella had noticed awhile ago. The redhead was good at charming people and issuing threats, yet when it came to the softer side of emotions, Victoria suddenly had no idea what to say. Bella found it endearing, knowing a vampire could still get flustered.

"Right," Victoria said with a nod, tightening her grip on Bella's hand.

"Lucky you," Irina added under her breath, smirking when Victoria gave her a warning look.

Bella looked between Victoria and Irina nervously, then came to a decision to speak. "So, the Quileutes...are werewolves?" she asked hesitantly.

Immediately, both vampires froze, realizing that while they had protected Bella from physical attacks, Bella must have had at least some kind of view of what was going on outside.

"How much did you see, Bella?" Victoria was the first to break the silence.

Bella fidgeted under the two vampire's gazes, feeling like she had done something wrong. "I just saw the wolves...and Sam. And I heard something about a treaty...Basically, I put two and two together." Bella looked up, a strong glint in her eyes. "I'm right. I know I am."

Irina put her head in her hands. It was the stupid mutts' faults for walking right into Bella's backyard, but Irina didn't put it past that alpha boy to twist it into them breaking the treaty. Not that Irina would lie to Bella, not in a million years. "Yes, Bella. You're right. Except they're not werewolves, they're shifters. And you knowing makes things a lot more complicated."

"Why? I know about vampires, what's so bad about knowing about shifters?" Bella asked, a little glint of anger in her eyes that Victoria knew probably had to do with her realizing Jacob was a part of the pack, at least somehow. Her mate was definitely not stupid.

The two vampires exchanged a look, and Victoria decided it was best for her to explain. "I think you should sit down, Bella. We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

 _Author's Note: I know, I know. It's a stupid way to end the chapter. But I couldn't find a better way to end it, so here it is._


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. But as you can tell, I haven't abandoned any of my stories. In fact, I bet you're feeling pretty forgiving right now since I updated three of my stories in like a five minute time frame, right? I'm right, aren't I?...Please?_

* * *

Chapter 9

"Bella? Are you okay?" Victoria asked hesitantly, reaching out to brush Bella's hair away from her face. A harder feat said than done, as Bella had her head in her hands and didn't seem ready to move anytime soon.

"Not really. I mean, the Quileutes are werewolves––wolf shifters, whatever––and so is Jake, which is why he left me after promising _never to do that_ and the Cullens knew but they didn't tell me, you guys knew but you didn't tell me, and I just––ugh!"

"Please tell me you aren't mad at us," Irina said as she crouched in front of Bella, trying to peer up into the brunette's eyes. "If we told you, that would be a breach of treaty, and that means that they could attack and even kill us for no reason."

"Like I'm going to let that happen," Bella said, a surprising amount of angry determination in her voice. "If they even try to touch either of you...and Charlie was right, Jake is a steroid stuffing little prick, but the steroid is some Quileute magic shit, and Jacob's not the only one doing the stuffing. If any of those rock for brains tries anything, they'll have to take it up with me, my dad, and his gun. Do you understand me?" Bella glared at Irina and Victoria, daring them to disagree.

"Yes, we most certainly do," Victoria assured the brunette.

"Don't patronize me, Tori. Just because I don't have super strength and speed doesn't mean I'm not a good shot. Charlie made sure of that," Bella said, still fuming.

"Bella, I'm not patronizing you. I do believe you would do anything to protect us," Victoria said as she took Bella's face in her hands, staring deep into the brunette's eyes. The two shared a long, seemingly romantic moment, one Irina was becoming less and less okay with. Come on, she put her life on the line too! Why the hell did she have to be the third wheel? She should be the first! Not that that made much sense…

"Hey Bella, whatever happens next is up to you," Irina said. Using where she was crouched to her advantage, Irina pushed open Bella's legs and snuck between them before the human could even process what was happening. Then she wrapped her arms around Bella's waist and nuzzled her stomach, making the human's heartbeat skyrocket. "I'm here to serve...however you want."

"Quit the act, you pervert," Victoria muttered lowly as she dropped a now blushing Bella's chin to glare at Irina.

"I'm not a pervert, I just want to worship my mate," Irina shot back, her voice just as quiet. "If you don't want to, that clearly means she's meant to be mine. Of course, I don't mind having a guard dog for her…"

"Watch your––"

"Stop fighting!" Bella groaned, even though she couldn't hear a single word of what was passing between them. "Why can't you two get along? I love you both!" As those words passed her lips, Bella's eyes widened in shock, horror, and confusion. She loved them? What the hell, she barely knew them! Where had those words come from? Why did she…?

"Do you mean it?" Victoria and Irina asked as one as they both got up, both of their faces extremely close to Bella's.

"Yeah," Bella admitted, surprised at just how true that single word was. She loved them. She barely knew them, but she already loved them. It was scary, how easily she had become attached. What if they left like the Cullens? Or Jake? She knew she wouldn't come back if either of these two women left her, but––

Irina, too eager to think straight, grabbed Bella's face in her hands and kissed her, passionate and hard. She didn't let up, drinking in Bella's taste, the surprised gasp the human had made when her brain caught up with what was happening, it was all just so delicious, so right. Irina couldn't imagine an existence where she would never be able to kiss this beautiful human again.

Then Bella was ripped from Irina's grasp, and Victoria's lips were on Bella's, kissing the human for all that she was worth. It was like the stars had aligned, burning with a fiery need that would have left Victoria breathless had she needed to breathe. Bella, however, actually did need to breathe, which was why Victoria had no choice but to release the girl and let her up for air.

In that moment, as the dazed human got her brain to start working again, the two vampires didn't fight. Victoria didn't care that Irina had stolen the first kiss, and Irina didn't care that Victoria had stolen Bella right from her arms. They were both just too elated, riding on the high that Bella had given them.

 _Oh. So it was that kind of love…_ Bella thought as she struggled to recover. Sure, she had found herself getting increasingly attracted to both Victoria and Irina, but she had still thought that she had meant a familial or friendship type love when she had admitted to loving them. That illusion was promptly shattered by the two kisses, and Bella couldn't deny it any longer. Yes, she barely knew them. Yes, she was a human and they were vampires. Yes, there were two of them. But...Edward couldn't compare to this, not even close. These two women had taken her onto a whole other plane of emotion.

"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?" Irina asked anxiously, quickly snapped out of her happy haze.

"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just lost control. I didn't mean to hurt you," Victoria said, just as freaked out as she reached for Bella's face, only to retreat, afraid to upset Bella further.

"Huh? What do you…?" Bella started, only to trail off, wiping at her cheeks as she realized they were wet. "Why am I…? She couldn't believe it, but she was actually crying. She was happy, but scared––so, so scared. If this was just another trick, if either of them grew tired of her…

"Bella, please. What do we have to do to make it right? I'll do anything!" Irina pleaded. Unlike Victoria, she wasn't afraid to touch Bella, and so she put her hand on one of Bella's knees, trying to comfort the human.

"I can leave. I can let you calm down. I'll do whatever you want, I just didn't mean to hurt you. I thought...I was so happy...just tell me what to do," Victoria said, her anxiety reaching new heights as she all but vibrated with anxiety in front of the human.

"No," Bella said, reaching out to grab ahold of both Victoria and Irina's shirts. "Don't leave. I just...what Edward did...it can't happen again. Let me finish! Please," Bella added when Victoria and Irina both opened their mouths to protest. "Edward hurt me in a way I had never been hurt before. You two are capable of hurting me much, much more than he ever could. So if you guys actually care about me at all, just promise me...promise me you'll never leave me." As she spoke, she closed her eyes, fighting back more tears as she waited for the final verdict.

Bella felt them move, both incredibly slow as they sat on either side of her, Victoria on her left, Irina on her right. Both put a hand on Bella's thighs, and Bella felt a kiss on either cheek. Yet each kiss felt different, and Bella realized that she could tell where each woman was, which woman was Victoria and which was Irina. They were the same in some, maybe even many ways, but they were also different––even the way they touched her, kissed her, was so completely different that Bella would never be confused as to which girl is which. But without a doubt, regardless of their similarities and differences, Bella knew she needed both women with her to be whole.

It was up to them now. They had the power to either save her or destroy her.

When they opened their mouths, Bella felt it. She knew they were about to speak, about to tell her what they felt, if they wanted her, if they needed her the way Bella did.

" _All the single ladies_ _(All the single ladies)_

 _All the single ladies (All the single ladies)_

 _All the single ladies (All the single ladies)_

 _All the single ladies_

 _Now put your hands up_

 _Up in the club, we just broke up_

 _I'm doing my own little thing_ ––"

"Fucking Kate and her fucking ringtone!" Irina suddenly screeched, jumping to her feet. Before Bella could even blink, Irina had grabbed her phone and threw it against the far wall hard enough to dent the wall and completely destroy the phone.

"Oh," was all Bella could think to say as she stared at Irina. Victoria wasn't doing much better, her mouth open with the words she had been prepared to tell Bella, words that were now completely gone.

"Don't listen to that ringtone," Irina quickly said, stomping on the remains and grinding it into the floor until metallic dust was all that remained. "I don't like being a single lady, I'm not celebrating recently becoming single. I mean, I did recently become single, but that's not the point." Just like that, Irina was in front of Bella on her knees, taking both of Bella's hands in hers. "I feel the same way, Bella. I love you, and I fell in love the moment I saw you. There's this thing called mates, and it's like a one in a million thing that can happen. I've been alone for so long and became so desperate that I twisted lust into feeling a mating bond––not with you, with someone else, I swear. I knew what a real mating bond was the second I looked into your eyes. You're the only one for me. I thought nothing could top meeting you for the first time, but when we kissed...gods, I don't even know how to explain it. If a kiss was that amazing, just imagine when we have sex––"

"Okay, enough," Victoria said, cutting in. "She gets the point." Victoria then took one of Bella's hands from Irina, gazing seriously into Bella's eyes. "Bella, what Edward did to you was one of the most horrible things anyone could do to a person. I am nothing like him, or Jake for that matter. I'm never going to leave you, and I will do everything in my power to make sure I will never hurt you, and to make sure nobody else hurts you either. I love you, Bella. You're my mate, and I can't imagine a day without you by my side."

"Whoa," Bella said breathlessly, overwhelmed by the two flowery yet sincere confessions from the two gorgeous woman. It didn't even matter that they both had brought up the mate thing. After all, while Edward had made it seem like Bella was his mate, it was nothing compared to what she felt right now. In fact, Bella was certain that Edward wasn't her mate, not when she was feeling something as powerful as this for these two women. "I can't believe those were the answers I got. I half expected you two to just run away or something."

Irina and Victoria both opened their mouths to protest, but Bella squeezed the two hands she held, quieting them.

"I know that's pretty depressing of me, but you two are beyond amazing, and I've been fucked with before. Now, however…" Bella trailed off, her elation taking a puzzling turn as she remembered what Edward had said about mates. She didn't care much about a vampire finding their mate of the opposite sex––after all, homosexuality probably existed for as long as humans did, so there's bound to be gay mates. Seriously. What forces that be would be cruel enough to make a gay vampire end up with someone of the opposite gender? But still, it was pretty clear that a vampire finding their mate meant they found their other half. Yet… "Wait a second. Does that mean that both of you are my mates?"

Irina and Victoria exchanged a startled, bewildered glance. Why hadn't they thought of this before? Could it be true?

Could they actually _both_ be Bella's mates?


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry I took so long to get this out, I just had no idea how to proceed. But now I do, hence the reason this chapter is out. Thanks for your patience!_

* * *

Chapter 10

The surprised staring continued between Victoria and Irina, leaving Bella more than a little frustrated and still waiting for an answer to her question. Of course, Bella eventually gave up on waiting and all but exploded.

"So? Does this mean that both of you are my mates or not?" the human asked at last, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"Probably," Victoria and Irina admitted at the same time, then glared at each other due to their simultaneous response.

"...Oh," was all Bella could think to say. It was just so much to take in. Not to mention Bella was still processing the fact that she had just made out with both Victoria and Irina, then gotten confessed to by both of them just moments ago. Not to mention Edward also said Bella was his mate, and look what happened. Two mates could just mean two times the heartbreak. "I just...sorry, this is so much to take in."

"Of course, take as much time as you need," Victoria was quick to say. Had her heart been able to beat, it would have been pounding. This was the most anxiety provoking situation that she had ever been in, and it was terrifying for the redhead.

Irina bit her bottom lip, staring at her mate. She had no idea what she was supposed to say or do now, and it didn't help that she couldn't even call Tanya for advice since she had just destroyed her phone.

Realizing that Bella needed to be sure-that _they_ needed to be sure-Bella took a deep breath and took a hand from Victoria and Irina. "How do you know that I'm your mate?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I once believed Laurent was my mate," Irina was the first to speak. "He was just so charming, and I was so desperate that when he said I was his mate, I deluded myself into thinking he was because I was so desperate. I had even originally come here for revenge when I found out Laurent had died. But then, then I met you." Irina looked up at Bella pleadingly, begging the human to understand that Irina had just been stupid. "What I had for Laurent was attraction. But the second I laid eyes on you, everything else disappeared, and you became my world. While I want to have sex with you," _so, so badly,_ "it's more than that. I want you to be happy, and I'll do anything I can to make sure of that. Not only could Laurent leave me, but I didn't even care that he left; I only got upset when he died. However, I can't imagine leaving you for more than a few hours, and it's torture to even think about leaving just to hunt and come back. And if you were to die…" Irina got choked up at just the thought. "If you were to die, I would follow. I might be able to survive long enough for revenge, but every step I took, every thought I had, would be tainted by the fact that you weren't with me. I would have to follow you, would crave my final death if it meant I could see you again."

Victoria frowned, not in annoyance, but because she was in complete agreement. Meeting eyes with Bella had completely changed her world, and she couldn't imagine living a moment without her. It was ironic that both she and Irina had lost a so-called mate and should have been seeking revenge, only to realize what a true mate was.

Bella's breath caught as she heard and saw the sincerity in Irina's eyes and voice. And when she glanced at Victoria, despite the fact that the redhead hadn't said a word, Bella could tell that Victoria felt the same.

These two couldn't even imagine leaving her, let alone go through with it. And as Bella let this information sink in, she was suddenly drawn back to all the times when Victoria went out hunting. How Tori would appear in her window afterwards and seek contact with Bella, a tinge of desperation to the redhead's actions.

Bella felt a sudden urge to act, and she didn't deny it, didn't overthink it. She let go of both Irina and Victoria's hands, reached towards Irina and, cupping the blonde's face in her hands, drew Irina into a long, sweet kiss.

Immediately, Victoria started to worry. She was afraid that Bella had accepted Irina, but not Victoria, and the redhead didn't know what to do. Did she have to give a grand explanation like Irina? But how could Victoria do so without sounding like she was echoing Irina's words? Would Bella actually abandon her?

So focused on her worries, she didn't even notice that the kiss had ended, didn't even snort at the doe eyed, love sick expression on Irina's face, complete with a stupidly silly grin. Of course, she didn't notice Bella turning to her, didn't see the intention in the human's eyes, until Bella cupped Victoria's face in her hands and brought Victoria into an equally long, equally sweet kiss. Victoria's eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into the kiss, feeling all of her anxieties and fears fly out the window.

Irina didn't care that Bella was kissing Victoria. She was just so happy, feeling so high on love, that she just wrapped her arms around Bella's waist and rested her head on Bella's back, breathing in the girl's scent, unable to stop grinning. To think, she hadn't even needed to do anything, and Bella had kissed her!

The kiss with Victoria ended, and Bella sat up straight and reluctantly pulled away. Victoria stared into Bella's face, so much emotion in her red and gold eyes, that Bella actually felt moved. Then Victoria reached out and stroked Bella's face, confirming that everything was real, that her mate had accepted her.

"I love you, Tori," Bella spoke aloud, wonder in her voice. She turned and reached out to Irina, stroking the blonde's hair. "And I love Irina too. To know that you're both my mates, that you're both going to stay with me...it's amazing. More than I ever would have imagined."

Victoria and Irina both smiled, although due to Irina's position-as she was still holding onto Bella with her head down- only Victoria's smile could be seen. However, Bella could feel Irina's smile just as much as she felt Victoria's, and it made her feel warm from the inside out.

"Can we just...talk? Hang out?" Bella asked hesitantly. "No talk of wolves, or past boyfriends, or anything stupid like that. I want...I want to get to know you two better. I want to hear of your pasts, what you like, what you hate, that kind of thing."

"Of course," both vampires said at the same time, but this time, there was no glare shot between them for saying the same thing.

"But we want to hear more about you as well," Victoria added.

"Don't think we won't ask any questions too," Irina added with a nod in agreement as she straightened from her position. She frowned as she added, "I know you said no talk about past boyfriends, but I still want to know what happened." She saw Bella's shoulders sag as dark emotions seemed to overcome her mate, and so she rushed to add, "You don't have to say it now! I just mean sometime soon, I need to know what happened because I don't like knowing you went through something horrible. You can totally-"

"It's fine, Irina," Bella assured the blonde, smiling as she got to see once more just how much Irina cared about her. "I can tell you what happened. We just won't dwell on it, okay?"

Irina nodded vigorously in agreement, so vigorously that even Victoria worried that the blonde might somehow break her neck. "Yeah. Yeah, of course!"

So they started talking. Bella did tell Irina what had happened to her, upsetting Irina and making Victoria relive Bella's pain all over again. But they didn't dwell on it, and they soon started to talk about other subjects. Victoria spoke about her past, how she had been turned by her sister, the coven she had been in, and how it was destroyed. Victoria's story even made Irina feel hurt for her as she realized how much it would destroy her if she lost her own sisters. But just like with Bella, Victoria moved on to happier subjects.

Irina told her story as well; her human life, how she was turned by her mother, the loss of said mother, her life up until now, although she didn't mention Laurent.

Every part that wasn't painful for the three girls to speak of, interested Bella to no end. To know how long they had lived, what they had seen...it all but blew Bella's mind. And, admittedly, it made Bella wonder if she would be turned and get to witness all of this as well-with Victoria and Irina by her sides, of course.

At one point, they fell into a comfortable silence. Somewhere along the way, Bella had leaned against Irina's chest, closing her eyes in pleasure. Irina smiled softly down at her, shifting to make the human more comfortable as she continued combing through Bella's hair with her fingers-something she had started doing quite a while ago-with her other arm wrapped around Bella's waist, securing the human against her. While Victoria usually would have wanted to be in Irina's position, what with Bella being in Irina's lap, she was still happy having captured Bella's legs, which she ran her hands along in a loving, distracted gesture.

Just knowing that Bella was happy was more than enough for either of them. And having shared so much between them, having spoken for so long, seemed to strengthen a bond not just between each vampire and Bella, but between the two vampires as well.

Despite how happy, how content, Bella was at the moment, a single worry wouldn't leave her alone. The human knew, without a doubt, that if she would never be able to truly relax until she got an answer to a question.

So Bella opened her eyes and sat up-or tried to, only to find both Irina and Victoria tightening their grips, refusing to release their mate, both making grumbling sounds of protest. Instead of sitting up and addressing the problem openly and seriously, with Bella facing both of them, she had no choice but to allow herself to be pulled back into her nearly horizontal position. Still, that wasn't going to stop her from asking her question.

"Victoria, Irina," Bella spoke softly, but was undeniably serious.

"Yes?"

"Yeah?" Victoria and Irina asked at the same time, both straightening as they sensed the importance of the situation. Something that Bella really wished that she could do, but sadly, it was clear that wasn't about to happen as the two vampires tightened their grip on Bella further, as if afraid she was about to disappear. While Bella obviously wasn't about to disappear, she did slide down Irina's body a few inches, so now she was nearly flat on her back. Well, at least from her new position, both women were currently looking down into Bella's face, and therefore Bella could look up at both of them at once, which was better than only looking at one of them.

"What happens next?" Bella asked, and the second the question was out, she started to chew on her lower lip with worry. This distracted both vampires, who felt a sudden and powerful urge to lean in, kiss the brunette, and free Bella's lower lip from her teeth so they could bite that lower lip instead.

Irina actually started to bend over to do just that, but Victoria managed to get a hold of herself so she could say, "What do you mean?"

Bella took a deep breath and stopped biting her lower lip, causing Irina to be released from the spell of Bella's mouth.

"I mean...I need to know. Do you plan on turning me into a vampire?"

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Tanya snarled as she paced the room as she tried to call Irina for the hundredth time, only for it to once again go straight to voicemail. "Fuck! This is bad."

Irina knew that she was supposed to keep her phone on, especially due to her emotional state and the need for Irina to call in to update her sister. Sure, she seemed to have become happier since coming to Forks, although Tanya was still unsure as to why, but that didn't mean anything. Not with dangerous wolves lurking around the area their sister was in.

Something was wrong; for Kate to be cut off mid call, then for no one to be able to get a call through since, something had to be wrong. Could Irina have been hurt? Killed? Could someone have canceled the call so as not to give something away?

"Enough calling!" Kate announced as she strode into the room. She stopped in front of Tanya, stopping the coven leader from pacing. Her eyes were pitch black, arms crossed over her chest, lips lifted in a half snarl. "Something bad could have happened to Irina. For all we know, she could be…" Kate trailed off, unable to finish that sentence. Letting out a frustrated snarl, she punched the nearest wall, creating a large hole. "We need to go to Forks, to find her! Why aren't we leaving already, Tanya?"

Tanya's hands curled into fists, and she looked past Kate, towards an equally worried Eleazar and Carmen, and she knew Kate was right. Not to mention if something really happened to Irina while Tanya was waiting for her to call, the coven leader would never forgive herself. She was not going to risk losing her sister.

Nobody thought to call Alice; instead, Tanya straightened and announced, "We're leaving immediately. If you feel the need to bring anything, go get it now." Nobody rushed out to get anything and Carmen and Eleazar immediately stood up, ready to go. "Good. Now, let's go; we're going to Forks." At Tanya's words, the four vampires took off.

They didn't know what awaited them, but they didn't care. They would do anything to make sure Irina was safe.


End file.
